Bind These Broken Chains
by Orchida
Summary: [AU, Sequel] The chains in our heart connect us, memories are important and even if they're forgotten, buried deep within the dark, they never truly disappear, waiting for the day when the light summons them back. SoraxNaminé SoraxKairi.
1. Chapter One

This fic is based off of a previous oneshot of mine: Cut Me Anew, which if you haven't read you may want/need to, it isn't long so don't worry, but you may have no idea what is going on here if you don't. The first part takes place directly after/ a little after it. Feel free to work it out if you want. I had the beginnings of this idea whilst writing it and needless to say, it won't leave me alone until it's been written. So voila!

That being said this fic is **nothing to do with KH2. **

I don't own KH or any of its characters. Or the below quote in italics.

* * *

**Bind These Broken Chains**

'_Beware lest you lose the substance by grasping at the shadow.'_

**Chapter One**

_He had never known that the colour white could be so blinding. Out of instinct, his eyes screwed shut, the movement only intensifying the sharp pain that stabbed through his head like someone striking at him with a knife. His cracked lips parted and he groaned, or at least he would have if his throat weren't so dry, instead the moan came out as a stutter of random noise._

_He'd been knocked out, that much he could figure, what with waking up flat on his back and just about every inch of him hurting. Soft fingers touched his arm, dancing on his skin as they tried to grab his attention. Reluctantly he peeled open his eyes once again, the light disappearing as a shadow leaned over his face. _

_Silky pink lips moved, speaking words that he couldn't understand. His head was throbbing so badly that all he could hear was a dull roaring sound. Her brow furrowed, her face taking on a look of worry. Fragrant blonde hair blew over him and tickled his skin. With a huge amount of effort, he lifted his arm and scrubbed at his nose, wincing as pain shot up and down his body._

_She smiled tenderly and spoke again, lifting herself out of his viewpoint and moving away. Somehow, with the help of one hand on his arm and another supporting his back she managed to raise him into a sitting position. _

_A hiss of pain escaped his mouth, sore skin stretching and previously unused muscles alerting him to all of his new cuts and bruises. He tensed for a moment, allowing his quickened breathing to return to its normal state. The ringing in his head dimmed to a somewhat comfortable roar._

"…_kay?" His eyebrows drew in to a 'v' shape, his ears having muffled the first part of her sentence, but picked up the last. Carefully he nodded his head, assuming she had asked if he was okay. _

_A slim eyebrow rose at his answer, small hands crossing over her chest in a posture that told him that she didn't believe him one bit. He attempted to smile, knowing that he could never fool her, but the action came across as more of a grimace. _

_Her hands dropped to her sides and her face took on a look of concern, eyes shining with worry. He wanted to shake off her apprehension for him, but the best he could offer was to move his hand onto her own, trying to reassure her with a light press of his fingers. She seemed satisfied with the gesture as her fingers gripped back, her anxiety disappearing from her body yet a hint of it still remaining on her face. _

"_Happened?" He croaked, eyes tracing her face for any kind of clue. Eyes not blinking he managed to spot the brief flicker of panic in her eyes. _

"_It can wait." Her hand pressed tighter against his own. "Do you think you can move?"_

_In his normal state, he would have questioned her hesitance but at that moment, it seemed the least of his worries. He wriggled his hands and stretched his toes, making small movements to prepare himself. With agonising slowness, he'd never believed in the rip the bandage off quick method, he brought his legs up near his chest and pressed his arms down to the ground, pushing himself, with her help, upwards. _

_Her hands steadied his wobbling, a firm grip around his waist that managed to steady his stance. He thanked her with a slight nod of his head, eyes roaming around the room that they were in, now that his eyes had adjusted to the brightness and he could see all four corners. _

_He blinked, the room had no furniture, no pictures, no decorations, nothing but white. Blinding white that when concentrated on seemed to stretch on forever. The colour made his head spin and almost sent him tumbling back to the floor. "Be careful."_

_He moved his eyes to the floor, his colourful clothes rooting him back to reality. "Where are we?" He lifted a hand up to his head, the pounding returning now that he was moving about. "Never mind. How do we get out?" The inexplicable feeling to leave had been hankering at him for a while. He felt her hand wrap tightly around his own, tugging him forward._

"_Follow me."_

* * *

**Six years later**

The heat was unbearable, a sticky kind of warmth that made the air muggy and any kind of movement slow and almost impossible. Which was why, as luck went, he was outside walking, he felt like he was trudging through treacle and it didn't help that to get to where he was going the only route seemed to be a course of steadily increasing hills. Growing up, for the most part, on Destiny Islands had made him tolerable to hot weather, but the summer that this world seemed to be going through was something else.

Anybody with any sense, which appeared to be everyone except him, where safely tucked away inside air-conditioned houses and shady stores. The streets were empty and he assumed would be until the sky was merciful and let loose with a torrent of rain. He peered up at the perfect blue sky with not a puffy grey cloud in sight, and rolled his eyes; from the look of things, it wasn't going to be any time soon.

He was exhausted and his clothes, necessary unless he wanted his skin a lovely shade of raw pink, were covered with sweat and sticking to his skin as if coated with glue. With energy he didn't think he still possessed, he jogged the last few steps into the nearest shop.

As soon as he entered the store a blast of chilled air struck him in the face, he smiled, instantly relaxing and just about resisting the urge to stand under the air conditioner, hands splayed out and twirling around in a circle. The girl at the counter looked up from the magazine she was reading and grinned, recognising somebody who'd been outside in the heat for too long when she saw them.

Politely he smiled back, moving away from the blissful chilly air and walking towards the fridge filled with an assortment of different coloured drinks. He took out two bottles of what he assumed was this worlds 'local' water and made his way back to the girl, placing them on the counter and waiting for her to total up his bill.

He pulled out a battered wallet from his pants and searched through the numerous pockets for the correct tender that was appropriate for this world - Gil. Waiting for his change, he picked up one of the bottles and took a quick gulp, relishing the cool liquid against his throat, but disliking the metallic aftertaste that it left behind. He pulled a face and the girl in front of him giggled, handing him his change.

He nodded his thanks, pocketed the remaining bottle and took a hold of his change. He heaved a sigh and turned around, his eyes lighting on the remaining customer that was both familiar and a stranger to him all at the same time.

His first thought was that what he was seeing was impossible, the heat had obviously gotten to him and was messing with his vision. Yet the longer that he stood there, rapidly blinking his eyes, the more realistic and closer _he _came.

Realising he wasn't actually hallucinating; he froze, almost dropping the change that had just been given to him.

After all of these years of searching and enquiring on different worlds. Following fruitless leads and multiple clues. There he was, standing nonchatchantly, his eyes roaming the countless shelves for the product he desired. One arm loaded with a shopping basket and the other a scrawled upon list.

His clothes were still the typical island garb; a loose fitting blue t-shirt accompanied with a similar shade, knee length pair of baggy shorts; pockets of various sizes included. He was taller, having grown even more so since the last long separation that had been forced upon them, and though he couldn't be certain until they stood next to each other, he was sure he was still at least a good few inches taller.

His hair was both a little shorter and lighter, but still in his familiar 'style', spikes sticking out haphazardly in the mess that he had always teased him for. Eyes were still the same shade of sapphire blue, resting on his innocent, even now boyish face that had always guaranteed the pair of them a get out of trouble free card.

Overall, he realised, the man in front of him was still Sora.

Yet in spite of his average, casual appearance, over half of the people that had known Sora believed him to be dead, and almost half of the remaining had given up all hope of ever finding him. The man standing in front of him was a miracle and thankfully a living, breathing one.

The list he was holding was stuffed into a pocket, right arm reaching out to a shelf and tanned fingers dancing over the coloured bottles with precision, until at last he found the correct one and plucked it from its shelf. An achingly familiar smile crept onto Sora's face, eyes checking the list once more, giving a satisfied nod and throwing the bottle into a basket with numerous other products.

"Excuse me sir?"

He turned, the spell broken as the shop assistant looked at him with a mixture of concern and alarm. "Are you all right?"

He realised that he must look a sight, sweat damp hair sticking to his face, eyes staring crazily at some random customer and, even stranger, his hands were shaking. He pulled his shaking hands, plus still tightly gripped, now slightly crushed bottle close to his chest, relaxing himself to the point where he at least appeared normal. "Sorry, the heat's making me a little dazed." He gestured with his free hand to the general air.

She nodded, eyes watching him warily and, he observed with a frown, not taking the chance to offer him a seat or opportunity to escape the heat for a little while longer. "Thanks." He tipped the bottle towards her and started to walk out of the shop. She smiled, obviously satisfied that the weird person was indeed leaving.

He walked back out the shop, his path conveniently taking him directly to Sora. His heart beat increased, blood pumping in his head and drowning out the tinny music that the shop was playing. Two steps and his elbow struck out, conveniently for him and annoyingly for Sora knocking the basket to the floor.

The basket tipped and bottles fell out, rolling embarrassingly under the shelves, eggs smashed to the floor, bread tumbled out and a milk bottle smashed; pure white liquid flying out to cover the floor in every direction.

Sora made a yelping sound, falling to his knees and trying to gather up any non-spilt items. At any other opportunity, he would have laughed at his friend's predicament, but right now, he was too worried and frightened over what would happen when his friend looked him in the face.

He knelt down beside him, glancing over the fact that milk was sopping into his pants, and stretched out a hand to help. "I'm so sorry, I'm so clumsy."

"It's okay." Sora shook his head, too preoccupied with cleaning up the mess to look him in the eye. The girl from behind the counter hurried over. Mop and bucket ready and waiting in her hands. She shooed Sora's hands away with a smile, promising him that it was fine and that she would clean up the mess herself, a grimace flickered his way as she started to gather up the remaining shards of shattered glass before somebody got hurt.

He winced, the pair standing up and leaving the girl to clean up the destruction. Sora had his basket back in hand; complete with safe bread and bottles he had managed to save.

"Here." He handed him a bottle of shampoo he had conveniently managed to rescue himself. Sora's eyes flickered up to meet his own, his hand taking back the item and a sheepish blush tainting his cheeks.

"Thanks." He gestured back towards the mess they had created on the floor. "I guess my basket was sticking out, sorry."

He was staring at him and… nothing. No hint of surprise, no sign of hidden recognition, nothing. It was as if he was meeting a complete stranger for the first time.

He nodded, accepting the apology, but not quite managing to quench the huge surge of disappointment at Sora not knowing who he was. "I'm sorry too." Sora smiled, side stepping him and continuing on with his shopping.

He had imagined it over a hundred times, the moment when he would eventually catch up with his lost friend. He had imagined him crying, he had pictured him bolting from his sight, he had even envisioned him socking him one in the face. What he had never even dreamt of was Sora ignoring him completely, looking at him blankly as if he was just another random face that he would likely never see again.

He walked out into the stuffy air, not giving the slightest that the sun was just as hot, seemingly hotter than when he had entered the store for a simple drink and chance to get out of the heat. It all seemed like a dream; he glanced back into the shop, seeing Sora helping the girl to her feet as he accompanied her to the counter.

He breathed out slowly, thankful that it was real and that he was here.

Riku had found Sora.

**To be continued…**

* * *

So it is done. Finally! It can of course always remain a side part to Cut Me Anew, but I'm hoping to continue it more. Let me know what you think. 


	2. Chapter Two

Just better say that the first part, in italics, all takes place in the past, about six years ago. The main part of the story, in normal type, takes place when the characters are around 22/23. The same will probably go for most chapters, or at least the first six.

This ficlet is **nothing to do with KH2.**

I also don't own any of KH's characters. They all belong to Square Enix and Disney.

* * *

**Bind These Broken Chains**

**Chapter Two**

_She ran, her feet hammering loudly on the tiled floor and her twisted ankle screaming with each falling step. Not that she cared, she could put up with something as simple as a sharp spike of pain, it was nothing, and none of it mattered. _

_It was all over and he was stood there, alive, hurt, but alive. He turned at her approach, dismissing the keyblade in a shower of sparkling lights. A flood of emotion swarmed her, relieved; she wanted to wrap her arms around him, reassure herself that he was really stood in front of her and okay. Not some illusion, not an impostor, but truly him. Tears pricked at her eyes, blinking to keep them at bay._

"_It's over." His voice was quiet, tired and resigned. _

_His body shook with exhaustion, every inch of him battered and bruised. She settled for taking a hold of his hand, fingers wrapping around his own. "I know."_

_She smiled brightly, the moment passing as she realised that he wasn't sharing her enthusiasm. His eyes were lost in the distance, a melancholy tilt to his lips. _

He's falling…

"_Sora?" She tugged lightly on his hand. A bruise was forming around his right eye and a nasty cut was flowing freely down his cheek._

"_You're hurt." She commented, lifting her free hand to his face and tenderly touching the fragile skin. He leaned into the touch, closing his eyes, and for just that one moment looking peaceful. They reopened, revealing a depth of sadness in them the likes of which Kairi had never seen, or even thought possible of her friend._

_Slowly, he pulled back, her now empty hand feeling cold and useless, tiny streams of his blood sank into the creases of her fingers, she stared at it, mesmerised at the stark contrast to her pale skin. "Sora?" She allowed her hand to fall slack at her side. _

…the truth is a powerful weapon…

"_I have to go somewhere."_

_She nodded, "Home." The word sounded full and rich; did he hear it that same way? _

_He pulled his hand free of her own, causing a cry to escape her lips. She felt her body freeze, each limb feeling like a dead weight that couldn't move. He was leaving her._

"_I'm sorry." His voice was hollow._

_Her own voice froze in her throat, hanging like a trapped stone and stopping her breath. This wasn't happening. He wasn't leaving her. Everything was fine now, the threat had gone, he could return, go home, be with her. Sweat began to break out all over her skin, her body trembling. _

_No! _

_She looked up to see his body disappearing through the door. Her legs wouldn't move, she swallowed, breaking the spell that kept her quiet. _

"_But you'll be back, right?" _

_She choked her mouth feeling like cotton wool. _

"_Promise me Sora!" She screamed, not caring if she woke up any remaining demons that were lurking in this wretched place. _

_Her knees gave way and she fell to the floor. Dry eyes staring blankly at the empty doorway. He hadn't even turned back, he didn't even say goodbye. Her gaze fell to the floor, her hand having left a sticky print in the white tiles with his blood. _

…if he can't handle it, then he may be lost

"_Promise me you'll come back." _

_Her voice was barely above a whisper, the words carrying softly to the listener hovering just outside the door. He hesitated a moment more until the room filled with tears, harsh cries that threatened to break him in two. Half of him wanted nothing more than to run back and comfort her, speak the words that she wanted to hear, promise that he would always be with her, but the stronger half knew what he was, what he had done and how he would taint her. He pushed himself away from the supporting wall, his mind made up. He would go to the only person who could help him. The only person left._

_She could take it all away._

_

* * *

_

"Naminé?"

The woman in question shoved a fringe of blonde hair back against her head, standing up from her kneeling position and stretching her arms until she heard a satisfying popping noise.

"Naminé, you home?"

"Here." She quickly made her way down the stairs, turning the corner to watch Sora struggle through the door with their shopping and consequently slam the door shut with his foot. "Sora." She admonished, a smile creeping its way onto her face despite her serious tone.

"No hands." He answered, lifting the shopping bags in his grip as if to emphasise his point. He grinned, his eyes taking in her dress of sweat pants and t-shirt, juggling the bags in his arms, his view switched to the much cleaner than when he had left house. "You've been busy."

She nodded, eyeing the sparkling floorboards and now fluffy clean rugs with satisfaction. The coffee table; normally cluttered with opened letters, magazines and battered newspapers - all conveniently placed there by Sora - was empty and shining bright enough to reflect the rooms image. "You noticed."

"Uh-huh, that and it's kind of hard to breathe." He grinned, walking past her and into the living room. "I always know when you've been on one of your cleaning sprees when air freshener replaces oxygen in the room." He rooted through his purchases, pulling out the day's newspaper and placing it down onto the newly cleaned, free of clutter table.

Naminé eyed the newspaper and rolled her eyes, she had long ago given in to the fact that so long as Sora was around their house would never be tidy. She shook her head, knowing instantly that saying anything was pointless. "What took you so long?"

Sora pulled a face, one that immediately made the pit of her stomach flop. "You're not going to like who I bumped into in town." Her face took on a look of curiosity, mind flickering through images of the islands inhabitants. "Cho."

Naminé cringed, bringing a hand up to her head. "Please tell me you had a simple, nice conversation and then walked away."

Sora smiled, his eyes taking on a desperate sheen. "She invited us around later; I think the words were afternoon tea."

Naminé groaned, "And you couldn't say no?" She already knew the answer. Cho was the islands busybody and made it her job to be every islander's surrogate Mother, wanted or not as the case often was. Ever since the pair had arrived in the town, she had taken the young couple under her wing, showing them the way around and ensuring that their cupboards were always full.

It was from Cho that she had first learned how much of a fuss their arrival had caused, after all, two teenagers arriving in the small town of Providence, with little possessions and guarded expressions on their faces wasn't an everyday occurrence. Cho had explained that it was up to her to explain their true back-story, to quieten the whispers and silence the gossip. Naminé had nodded along with the explanation, playing the naive young girl and all the while understanding that Cho was probably the one who had started it all in the first place. She had happily agreed to explain their reason for moving, after all there was nothing suspicious in their past, tragic circumstances and the chance of a new life being the only thing to bring them to Providence.

"I tried this time, I swear." He smiled at her amicably. "You know what she's like, she just wouldn't take no for an answer." Naminé nodded, knowing that Sora's attempt to say no would have consisted of a shrug of his shoulders, Cho's promise of sandwiches and cake and then the result of Sora caving in.

"I'm sure."

"No, really." He walked through to the kitchen to put away his purchases, leaving Naminé to trail behind.

* * *

It was some time later when the couple set off for Cho's house, Sora's arms wrapped around Naminé's waist as they lingered along the winding, crumbling paths. The heat had depleted a little, a sprinkling of showers making the air more of a hazy heat instead of the mornings blazing, sweat soaked feeling. She liked nothing better than evenings like this, the town in clear view from the highest hills so that she could see the islands houses peppered across the land that sloped down in front of her, a picture to her of a perfect town. 

She relaxed into Sora's hold, allowing his conversation to slide over her as they walked along. She had been seventeen when she and Sora had arrived in Providence. After months of travelling, the small village had seemed like heaven, pretty with its little houses and luscious, exotic greenery growing in abundance. Though she had never been to Destiny islands in person, she had seen Sora's home in his memories and had had to admit that it was as close to living there as they would ever come.

Sora had seemed settled too, the glittering blue sea in the distance and helpful villagers putting his mind at rest, the urge to travel and keep moving seemingly quenched, and so it was that the two had decided to stay. In a way it had made sense to Naminé that all Sora had ever really wanted was to return to his idea of home, and as for her, as cliché as it sounded, she was happy so long as Sora was beside her.

"Naminé?"

She blinked out of her memories and looked up to discover they had arrived at their destination. Cho's house stood in all its glory at the top of one of the highest hills, a perfect vantage point to keep an eye on the town, its people and any visitors. The house had once been a cool white, its once bright colour washed away by the sands of the beach when storms hit. Its garden was a kaleidoscope of colour, an assortment of flowers decorating the small lawn that Cho took so much pride in maintaining.

Naminé felt Sora's arms leave her waist as he walked up to the door and knocked solidly twice, turning his head back to give her a reassuring smile. The door opened to Cho's bubbly face, her robust frame grabbing Naminé and encompassing her in one fell swoop. "You came."

Naminé nodded, pulling herself out of Cho's perfumed clothes. "Was there ever any doubt?" Her gaze slid over to Sora, who grinned sheepishly. The older woman beamed, hustling the both of them through the door and into her living room.

Inside, the house was minimalist, yellow painted walls and cut-offs from the garden decorating vases that took pride of place on the windowsills. There were no pictures or clutter to take up space in this woman's house. Cho had once explained that she much preferred working outside or perusing the town to gathering dust inside her home, which was why the house seemed almost empty, giving off a lost quality to any of its few trinkets and treasures.

Cho took a seat, her body sinking into an old, squashy chair; she gestured for Naminé to do the same and gave Sora a wink. "Fetch us some raspberry tea, you know where it all is." Her hand flying in the direction of the kitchen.

Naminé sat back with a sigh, allowing her body to sink into the cushions herself. She listened to the idle chatter with one ear, muttering the right word at the appropriate time to appear that she was giving Cho her full attention.

"Now dear," Cho's head swivelled around to the kitchen where the clatter as Sora made the tea took place. Satisfied that he was still busy she nodded her head. "Have you given any more thought to what I said last time?" Her eyes took on an exited gleam.

Naminé sat up rigidly in her chair. "It's not quite as simple as-"

"Ah," Cho waved a tanned arm at her face. "'Course it is, I was saying to Maya just this morning that any day now you'd be announcing the news." She nodded her head, set in her decision. "I've never seen such a besotted couple. Why you live together already, all that's missing is the ring."

"There's plenty of time." Naminé argued, feeling her stomach flip flopping and turning delightedly light-headed at the thought, despite how much she told herself that it was just Cho trying to interfere.

"Of course there is, but I know these things and any day now he'll pop the question, I'm sure."

"I don't think-" She heard the clatter of crockery, cutting her sentence off, but knowing instantly that Sora must have at least overheard the last part of Cho's ramblings. Heat rushed up to her face, feeling like she had been caught out and turning her cheeks and the tips of her ears a rosy pink.

"Well Sora?" Cho's voice sounded out like an announcers, deafening in its pitch. Naminé's blue eyes widened, her voice catching in her throat as she realised it was too late to shut the older woman up. The damage was done.

Surprisingly, Sora remained calm, handing out the drinks he had made to their respective owners before turning back to face Cho. "You never know." A little smile hinting that he had plans for the future.

Cho made a squealing noise, her eyes glittering with excitement. Sora laughed, taking a seat in his own chair and throwing Naminé an amused smile, accompanied with a wink.

The blonde-haired woman smiled back, her heart beating much faster than it should. Did he mean what he had just said or was it just to keep Cho happy and off of her back? She was sure that it was the latter, after all nothing had ever been implied and it wasn't something that they had really ever discussed. Yet despite what she told herself, the swirling in her stomach grew. She was sure of something, soon everything was going to change and her relationship with Sora would never be the same. She blew on the steaming raspberry tea, she couldn't wait.

**To be continued…**

* * *

This chapter was meant to be in Sora's pov, but it seems that Naminé just wanted to take over. It's mainly a filler chapter to set up, but blah,let me know what you think. 


	3. Chapter Three

Same as the last chapter in that the first part, in italics, all takes place in the past, about six years ago. The main part of the story, in normal type, takes place when the characters are around 22/23.

Whoo! KH2 is on its way to me, screw October, I cannot wait that long. **Therefore, no KH2 spoilers please.** That being said this ficlet is **nothing to do with KH2. **I also don't own any of the characters. They all belong to Square Enix and Disney.

* * *

**Bind These Broken Chains**

**Chapter Three**

_She pulled him along, endless white corridors that seemed to drag on forever, looming over them and tightening, leading on in ever complicated twisting directions like that of any child's nightmare. Her patience tiring as each new turn drew to a dead end or previously past door. It wasn't even as if she didn't know her way, having been there so long now that she knew where each corridor lead like the pictures in her sketchbook. Except that in her panic she couldn't concentrate, shoes slapping on the tiles as she took wrong turns and led them deeper into chaos. _

_With each wrong step her panic heightened, certain that the next wrong turn would lead them into disaster. Her feet were beginning to throb and the sleep that she had skipped worrying over the outcome of the battle and then watching over Sora were beginning to take their toll. _

_God, she had made a mistake._

"_Naminé?"_

_The blonde's head swivelled back, feet coming to a swift stop at the sound of his voice._

"_Can we stop for a little?"_

_It was the first time he had spoken for a while, doubtlessly following her lead as he held loosely on to her hand. His pace had been dragging ever since they had left the room, catching on invisible snags as he tripped over his own feet. His head dipped, falling asleep even as he continued to walk._

_She gripped his hand tighter and pulled him closer to her body, wary that he might drop at any moment. _

"_We're almost there now." She whispered, she hoped. "It'll just be a little further." She was speaking to reassure herself mostly and dispel the uneasy quiet that was settling around them. Sora wasn't really up for much conversation and her heart was beating like a hummingbirds wings, frantically waiting for someone to be waiting around every corner, waiting to put a stop to their escape._

_Despite the feeling of urgency to leave, Naminé slowed down her pace considerably, encouraging Sora along and keeping a tight hold of his hand. She visibly relaxed, starting to recognise her surroundings now she had the time to take more care, and the panic that she had felt beginning to loosen its hold. _

_It was just when she was beginning tocalm downthat she heard the sound of someone running. She stopped, breath catching in her throat as she listened carefully. More footsteps sounded from further up the corridor and muffled voices echoed down to reach her ears. _

_She tensed, instinctively springing back and knocking Sora aside in the process. He cried out in pain and she panicked, blue eyes flitting down the corridor worriedly. She couldn't fight if it was an enemy and Sora was in no condition to protect anyone, let alone himself, and if the other possibility were true then everything would be over. Before it had even had a chance to begin._

_She grabbed his hand and pulled him back the way they had come, resolute in her actions. He had asked for her help and there was no way that she was going to let him down at the first hurdle. They were just one level away from the door, one step away from utter and total freedom and she was not about to give that up._

"_Naminé."_

_She froze, turning back to look at Sora. The state he was in, the way she was pushing him too hard. All for… he had asked…but she wanted it too. Tears pricked at her eyes and she stopped. "I'm sorry, Sora."_

_She wrapped her arms around him, careful not to press too tight and waited, listening to the sounds of voices just one door away from them. _

_She listened to them fade, almost not believing,footsteps dwelling on the edge of her mind as they walked away, giving them their one chance._

_She would take it too, asking Sora to take these last few steps. Slower even than before, but they would make it, she knew. Her hand on the door, shaking with relief as they stepped outside, the door closing quietly behind them as it shut the past away. _

_She felt him slump against her back, his head coming to rest against her own and his slow breaths puffing at her ear. _

_Dark grey clouds hung over the pair, a drizzle of steady rain wetting her clothes and plastering her hair to her skin… and even though she was now soaking wet and had no home and only the wet clothes stuck to her back, she thought she had never been as happy in her life. _

"_Sora? …Sora?" She shook his shoulder lightly, feeling that familiar panic stir in her heart when he didn't respond. "Sora?" A breeze blew past her, blowing her hair into his face and making his nose scrunch. He began to stir, lips curling into a frown and eyes slowly peeling open. _

"_Naminé?"_

"_Hey sleepy head, I'm here." She smiled softly, "Look at this, you have to see it."_

_Sora's head lifted from her shoulder, cheeks flushed with colour and eyes blinking tiredly. "Hmm, it's nice." _

_She smiled back at him briefly. It had not been a mistake._

* * *

The first thing Riku did after leaving the vicinity of the shop was find the nearest hotel. In fact he'd spent a good part of the afternoon searching for one, eventually being directed to a small establishment just on the outskirts of the town and thankfully still within walking distance. 

Despite the combined efforts of heat and shock he'd managed to pay for a room and then stumble his way upstairs, somehow opening the door and making his way to the bed. Once there he allowed himself to drop down onto it, collapsing back into the quilt as he let what had occurred consume his mind.

At one point he had been tempted to use the shower and freshen himself up, his skin feeling sticky and in desperate need of a wash, but even though he was tempted, he couldn't quite summon up the energy needed to move. Therefore, he had shifted himself to lie properly on the bed and spent the night fitfully sleeping, his dreams consisting of Sora disappearing in front of his eyes, walking away and insisting that he didn't _want_ to be found.

At five in the morning, he had given up, dragging himself from the bed and giving in to the call of the shower. The cool water washed away the last grogginess of the night, clearing his mind and giving him a chance to prepare his plans for the day.

What he really needed to do was find out where Sora was staying, or at least a general idea of where he could conveniently bump into him again. The ideal solution to that would be to ask around, but Riku was aware of just how much, and fast, talk could spread in a small town like this. The last thing that he needed, now that he'd tracked Sora down was somebody informing him of Riku, and causing him to run before he'd even had a proper chance to explain his case.

His eyes widened. Then there was the question of what he would say… being this close made everything he'd prepared over the years instantly fly out of his head, the speeches that he'd rehearsed over and over in his mind flitting away as if they'd never existed. With a strong amount of effort, he forced himself to calm down, that was all a little later on, and he needed to find him first. To do that he had to start making a move, and then he could worry about the problem of what to say.

An hour later, he stepped out of the hotel, it was still early in the morning, just past six, but by the time he made his way into the town there was bound to be at least a few characters awake and moving around. The air this time was pleasant, the heat of the day a few hours off yet, and so making it possible for him to explore his surroundings without feeling the need to collapse.

When he reached the middle of the town, all of the shops were still shut, a small coffee shop, according to its notice, being the first to open, but not until seven, and so for the remainder of the hour Riku amused himself by watching the last of the fishing boats set up and sail out.

Watching the town wake up, Riku realised how similar Providence was to Destiny Islands. He smiled wistfully, wondering whether this was the reason that Sora had settled down here in the first place. The similarity between the two was too obvious to be a coincidence, the only thing missing; a small island just out to sea for the children to play on. In truth, it gave him a little hope. Maybe it really would be easier once he found Sora to try to persuade him to come home, especially if a part of him still longed for it. Destiny Islands still clearly held a place in his heart, even if Riku didn't.

At quarter past he stood up from his seat by the beach and walked up to the coffee shop, noting with a little relief that he wasn't the first customer to arrive and so wouldn't be forced to make polite conversation with his server. Before he got stuck into that he had to figure out whether he was going to tell the truth in his reason for staying or make up an appropriate travelling story, as he had been forced to do in the past. Trying to travel the worlds in search of a keyblade master and remain inconspicuous at the same time was no easy task.

As he entered he was also glad to see the shop was quite modern; a little glass cabinet holding an assortment of pastries, all looking freshly baked that morning and still steaming from the oven. Fresh fruit, some he recognised and others that looked far too strange to eat, lined up on display, all on stand by and waiting to be made into juice when the time came. The shop was obviously cared for too, the floor shining spotlessly, tables clear from stains and clutter and small pots stocked fully with sachets of assorted sugars and sweeteners.

He sat down at a corner booth, barely glancing at the menu because the pastries had already caught his eye, and waited for the waitress to approach. He was greeted with a cheery good morning, placing his order of a particularly sugary bun, which Kairi would highly disapprove of him ordering before stealing bites for herself, and to make him feel slightly less guilty; a mixture of freshly squeezed mango and orange juice.

As he ate his breakfast in peace, Riku's thoughts travelled back to the girl he had left behind. Before his discovery of Sora, Riku had been contemplating returning home that day, his latest search had lasted for a good two months, and before he had left he had promised Kairi that he would be home within a few weeks time. He grimaced, that deadline had already past and Kairi was bound to be fretting for his safety by now.

Whilst he had been tempted to return home and tell Kairi the news straight away, another part of him had insisted he stay, the feeling that Sora would disappear by the time they returned a niggling and realistic worry. It had happened once before when they had both been sure that Sora had been found, and Kairi's hurt filled, disappointed face as they returned to find no trace of their friend would always remain a stark reminder that he shouldn't rush in before he was sure.

He finished his breakfast in contemplative silence, brushing stray crumbs off his shirt and placing down enough gil on the table for both the bill and a reasonable tip.

He spent the rest of the morning, before it got too hot, walking around and acquainting himself with the shops, buying any items he felt necessary for a short stay and then returning back to his room until the weather became more bearable.

In the evening he ventured out once again, this time making his way down to the beach, serene ocean water giving him that home sick feeling and the fact that there had been no sign of Sora all day making him feel like he'd wasted too much precious time. A few islanders still walked leisurely along the shore, but as night began to fall Riku gave up, his missed sleep from the night before beginning to drag down his eyes as he made his way back to the hotel.

The next few days past in much the same way, he changed the areas in which he walked, taking in the small streets with its quaint little houses, walking around the children's play area and even visiting what he had been told were the best bars to visit in Providence's night life. All with no sign of Sora, it was at the end of the third day that he began to panic, what if he had imagined it all? A hallucination brought on by the strong heat that this island was accustomed for, or worse, what if Sora really had known who he was, playing at deception and making his way out of town as soon as he had been sure that Riku had not followed. He could have stuffed it up before he'd even begun, but as soon as that thought flitted through his head Riku shook it away, Sora had never been good at acting a part or lying, that role had always been left up to him to play, and the reason his friend was never informed of surprises until the last minute. Yet the thought still unnerved him, for a town this size and not to have spotted at least one sign of his lost friend things were starting to look grim.

On the fourth day, Riku resorted to desperate measures and returned to the shop where he had met Sora. As soon as he entered the girl at the counter looked up, a smile in her eyes until she saw who it was that had darkened her doorstep. He winced, quickly covering the steps between them and making his way to her side. At least it was the same girl and she obviously still recognised him, which made his job a whole lot easier.

When he arrived at the counter, he smiled his most charming smile. The girl stared back at him blankly, less than impressed and ignorant to his ways. The smile faltered a little, but he picked it back up to a friendly position, ignoring the urge to start shouting about customer hospitality, which in the two times he had been here she had never displayed knowledge of once.

He breathed in, mentally running through what he had decided to say and then jumping straight into it. "Hi. I came in here the other day; I bumped into a guy…" He paused, allowing time for the girl to fill in Sora's name, assuming, of course, that she knew it and he hadn't just imagined it all.

After a beat, she nodded thoughtfully, as if it had taken him to speak of the matter in order for her to remember. Riku felt his plan slip, the silence looming just a little to long for her to have known and filled in his name.

"Sora."

Riku nodded, feeling his breath slide out of him in relief. He smiled, "Yes, Sora. I just wanted to apologise to you." Her eyes brightened, considerably more interested in the conversation now that he had redeemed himself. "If you want me to pay for any damages or anything?"

She shook her head, a smile back in place and making her look quite pretty instead of intimidating. "That's not necessary, Sora offered too at the time, but like I said to him, it was just an accident." She shrugged her shoulders. "No harm done."

He nodded his thanks. "Are you staying here long? I'm guessing you're a visitor." With that said, she gestured to his clothes, dark pants and long sleeved top hardly the ideal outfit for the islands weather.

"I'm staying for a little while, but I'm not sure how long it will be yet. I've tried to stay out of the heat as much as possible though."

She laughed. "There's a clothes store just two shops down if you're planning to stay a while."

"Thanks." She waved a hand as if it was no bother. "Em, this Sora? I was wondering if you knew where I might find him, to apologise to?"

She smiled pleasantly. "Don't worry about it. Sora's a total sweetheart; he won't even have given it a second thought."

"All the same-"

She nodded, putting a hand to her chin thoughtfully. "You might be able to catch him around four in town; he usually comes to meet Naminé from work."

"I-I'm sorry, Naminé?" It came out as a rushed whisper.

"Oh," she grinned, "his girlfriend, partner, whatever it is they're calling it these days."

Instinctively he nodded, words pouring out of his mouth and finishing off the conversation, so that later on he couldn't even remember what had been said. He walked out of the shop with the promise that she would pass on the message if she saw him, her face considerably more cheerful than the last time he had left.

Instead of taking his usual route back to the hotel, Riku took a seat on the pathway leading from the beach into town, ignoring the sun as it beat down on his skin, burning him nicely and making him sweat up a storm.

It was possible; he tried to tell himself, that it was all just a big coincidence. There were bound to be many girls called Naminé in the number of worlds out there, Sora had just happened to come across one on this one. Perfectly feasible. He tried to ignore the fact that he really hadn't recognised him, which could be explained easily, they had both changed a lot since the last time they had met and Sora had obviously not expected to bump into his old friend in the middle of a general store. As far as Sora had been concerned, he really had just bumped into a stranger, not really taking the time to look at Riku for who he could be.

Wasn't that what he had been saying all along? Sora just hadn't recognised him, right?

It was an hour later when Riku finally got his next glimpse of Sora, sealing away any lingering doubts his mind still had that he had imagined his friend. Nevertheless, this time it was not Sora that captured his attention, it was the young woman stood beside him, Sora's hand placed delicately at the small of her back as she twisted around to say something to him. Something that made the both of them laugh, her pink lips curling into a smile, blue eyes glittering and blonde hair flashing in the sun as she shook her head.

He felt something inside of him drop, small bits and pieces of the giant puzzle that had been Sora' s disappearance clicking into place as he watched the couple walk along, content in each others company and oblivious to him watching.

Sora really hadn't remembered him…

…All of this time and they'd thought…

He felt his feet root him to the spot, aware that if she caught him staring everything would be ruined, but unable to move all the same. His mouth flooded with water, head growing dizzily light headed as they walked out of his sight. It should have been obvious, it had been right there under their noses all this time and none of them had seen it.

Naminé had gone missing at the same time, but they'd just assumed… he had seen her just after Sora had left Kairi, she had smiled at him, assured him that she would do her best to help… and he'd trusted her, wishing her the best just in case.

He collapsed down to sit on the floor, knees feeling weak, ignoring the grit that dug into his skin and the sand that snuck its way into his shoes. The truth seeming far more complicated than anything he had even imagined.

* * *

**To be continued…**

Let me know what you think.


	4. Chapter Four

Apologies for the lateness of this chapter, but in my defence KH2 and KH2 plots/drabbles kept me occupied. So really it's all Nomura's fault.

This fic, and it's confirmed to me now, has nothing to do with KH2. There's an entirely different ending/plot written in my head. So no spoilers lurk in this chapter, or any yet to come.

I do not own any of the characters. They all belong to Square Enix and Disney. Shock, horror!

* * *

**Bind These Broken Chains**

**Chapter Four**

_His feet sunk deeply into the cold night sand, each step heavier than the last as he made his way to her side. Hesitating and coming to a stop before he covered the last few steps. With just a little uncertainty coating his voice he called out her name, his tone layered with concern. She paid him no attention, her gaze solidly fixed on the wide spread of dark ocean in front of them. Waiting._

_Riku sighed, closing in on the last few separating steps, his hand landing on her shoulder and forcing her to turn to meet him. "Hey," He smiled, a similar expression flitting momentarily across her face before it disappeared altogether, sinking back to wherever she had dredged it up from._

_He waited for her to make the first move, silence hanging between them like a thick cloud, her voice, when she finally chose to speak, hushed and dull. "Why is he not here?" The question was simple, childlike; it bit through him to his core._

"_He should be back now, right? She stared at him, awaiting his answer._

_Riku nodded, not trusting himself to speak without breaking. He needed to stay strong for her, be by her side for as long as it took for Sora to-_

"_I don't understand." She smiled, eyes displaying the hurt she couldn't hide. _

_He didn't answer; he couldn't, not when the reason for Sora's disappearance was an enigma to him too. _

_Riku had found Kairi a crumpled mess on the floor. Tears tracking lines down her face and faint, alarming signs of blood covering her hand. He had panicked, rushing over to her and running worried eyes over her appearance. Shaking her shoulders until she had clung to him, sobbing uncontrollably and declaring repeatedly that he had left. _

_Riku had felt his breath leave him in one fell swoop, words that the King had said coming back to flood his conscious._

…if he can't handle it, then he may be lost

_They had searched the castle high and low, Donald, Goofy and even Mickey joining in on the search. All returning empty handed and saddened, with no sign of Sora to be found. Their friend had disappeared._

_The Disney trio had been optimistic to the last. Insisting that Sora probably needed his space, some time to adjust, he would turn up in a day or so, back to his old self once he had had some time to think. And despite the feelings that weighed them down, both Riku and Kairi had agreed, returning to their home and waiting each day for their friend to return. _

_It had been a niggling fear in both of them that what the trio had said was wrong, just placating words, sweet false hope. The pair had seen Sora through almost everything and never, even at his worst, had he acted this way. Sora was always the cheery one, optimistic, the one who never even dreamt of giving up. _

_Therefore, they had waited, Kairi refusing to leave the beach unless Riku took her place, and even then returning within the hour. Insisting to anyone who fretted that she had to be there, she wouldn't give up…_

… _Nevertheless, as each day passed, Riku was beginning to doubt._

_Receiving no answer Kairi turned back around to the ocean, eyes scouring the dark waves as if Sora would come spluttering up at any second. Riku sighed, his hand stretching out and wrapping around her wrist. "Kairi… please." With strength he didn't think she was even capable of, she tore her hand out of his grasp._

"_No!" Angrily she turned back to face him, eyes glinting with accusation, burning into him, she knew he had given up. "He'll come back Riku." She breathed angrily in and out her fists tight and shaking growing slack, dark eyes sliding back to the sea and her breath returning to its former, calm state._

"_Kairi…" _

"_I don't care Riku. He wouldn't leave us, he wouldn't leave me."_

* * *

Rain pattered lightly against the window, washing down the glass in streams of droplets that blurred his view of the town outside. It was still fairly dark, with a tiny amount of light beginning to peek its way through the murky grey clouds. Which meant that it was still early, early enough for Naminé to still be asleep - always the early riser - and certainly far too early for him to be awake.

Yet he was, which was annoying. He'd tried to lay still and go back to sleep, giving that he had at least two more hours before he needed to get up. Yet despite how long he kept his eyes closed and his mind blank it just wouldn't close down.

So after five more minutes of twisting and turning he gave in, shifting and carefully clambering out of their bed, replacing the covers so that Naminé wouldn't feel the chill and padding over to the window. Once there he gave a quick, cautious glance behind him, but thankfully Naminé slept on peacefully unaware, one palm making a pillow for her head and strands of golden hair falling artfully across her face. Satisfied, he turned his attention back to the window. It really was looking to be a miserable day, the kind that tempted him to crawl back into bed and retreat under the covers, if he wasn't feeling so restless anyway.

A flittering kind of feeling that worked its way around his stomach. The cause of it unknown. He wasn't apprehensive and he wasn't nervous, but the feeling still lingered, trembling inside and waiting…

Movement sounded behind him and Naminé stirred, her hand stretching out to the empty space beside her, cornflower blue eyes sleepily blinking open to search him out.

"Sorry. Did I wake you?"

Her eyes closed, head rummaging further into the pillow. "What time is it?"

He smiled. "Early."

She sighed, "Your early, or mine?" Her words muffled by the pillow she was mumbling into.

"Yours." His idea of early consisted of any morning where he wanted a lie in.

"Then go back to sleep."

He turned his attention back to the window, "I can't. It's raining."

"Hmm, it'll come bright. It always does…" She trailed off, returning back to sleep, minutes passing and leaving him the only one awake.

He nodded, looking back at the view of his home, its bright colours seemingly bleeding away with the rain.

"I'm sure that it will."

As it did, leaving the town a slightly cooler temperature than the past week or so, a warm breeze flowing through the open window and up to Sora, ruffling the morning paper that he was trying his best to quickly flick through, in his search for anything that caught his eye.

"Morning." Naminé's head popped around the door, still in her nightwear and looking just as asleep as when he had left her.

Sora looked up and over the paper, grinning at Naminé whose hair was still mussed up from sleep. "Good morning."

His tone was far too cheery for the still half asleep girl, her eyes glaring daggers at the now humming brunette in front of her.

He smiled at her look, "Coffee?" She nodded gratefully, Sora standing up from the table and watching as the blonde took a seat, her fingers sliding over and stealing the paper for herself.

He grabbed a mug from the cupboard, pouring the already prepared beverage into the cup and then adding milk. "Sugar this morning?"

Naminé took a moment to consider it and then gave a heavy nod. "Plans for the day?" She enquired, knowing that Sora had been given the day off. Though she had expected him to spend the best part of the morning in bed.

"Nope." Finished making the coffee he passed her the mug and took back his seat. "I can come and meet you for dinner if you want?"

Naminé shook her head, wincing as she took a sip of the coffee. "I have to work through today, but I can see if I can get off a little earlier later on?" He nodded.

"I guess I'll spend the rest of the day lounging around then."

She smirked, turning a page of the paper and eyeing Sora from across the table. "I wouldn't have thought it any different."

He poked his tongue out teasingly; leaning back into his chair and listening to her casually flip through the news. His mind wandering through the possibilities and jobs that he would hopefully be able to accomplish before the end of the day. Lounging around was good and all, but Sora had never been one to just waste his free time away - well, at least not most of the time.

* * *

The sky was now a warm grey, a change from the pure blue that Riku had become accustomed to. The rain having cooled down Providence to a reasonable temperature and leaving the small town fairly packed. Meaning Riku had to push his way through harried parents trying to usher their children to school and general shoppers trying to stock up their cupboards with food. All seemingly in a rush to move about the town before the heat came back again in full force.

The cooler weather was typical really. He had caved just the day before, deciding that lighter and more appropriate summer clothing was needed, even if he wasn't going to be staying for much longer. He was certainly going to be coming back fairly soon.

It was whilst he was walking through the crowds, on his way to pick up some lunch, that he spotted the familiar spikes of a certain brunette, on his own and Naminé nowhere in sight. Temptation struck at Riku, if he could just talk to Sora; perhaps persuade him to return home where everything could be explained.

It was hopeful he knew. Sora's life and the true reality of it would not be easy to explain. Coming from a stranger, as Riku clearly was now would make it no more easier to hear. Sora would likely think him strange at best and a lunatic in the end.

Nevertheless, Riku steeled his resolve and began to follow his former best friend, all ideas of breakfast forgotten as he trailed Sora through the town and down to the beach.

In his many wanderings, he had discovered that Providence consisted of two beaches. A large one off to the east of the island, which the tourists and passing through mainly occupied, and a quieter one to the west, the one that Sora had chosen to stroll.

The beach was mostly empty, a few straggling schoolchildren loitering on the sands and an elderly couple perched on a blanket off to his right, soaking in the rays of the sun before it began to rain once again.

Therefore, Riku kept his distance, watching Sora trail through the surf as he'd always enjoyed doing ever since he could remember. Kicking up the waves as they flowed past his legs and spraying water all over his shorts, soaking himself through but not seeming to care.

It seemed no different to all the other times he had watched Sora play about in the ocean, himself watching coolly from the beach and a giggling Kairi keeping her distance, knowing full well that Sora would soak her through if he got the chance, always creeping closer even though they all knew how it would end. It had all seemed so easy back then, the task at hand to just find something interesting to do with their time. Now just approaching his friend seemed like a challenge.

Minutes trailed by as Sora walked along the beach, Riku loosing his nerve as all words left his head. He wanted to tell him the truth, explain what he was missing, what their home was missing because he wasn't there. He couldn't even work up the nerve to speak.

Sora left the surf and trailed back up to the beach, plonking himself down on the sand as he waited for his clothing to dry, his eyes and mind drifting on the ocean in front of him. Waiting.

"It's really nice, isn't it?"

Sora blinked, his head twisting up to find the source of the voice. Riku smiled, moving his head to nod towards the view. "The ocean."

"Oh." Sora nodded, seeing the stranger smile and bringing his own into the picture. "It really is, uh…"

Riku cleared his throat. "The name's Kioshi." It was his Father's name, his own name seeming a bit too risky if Sora thought to describe 'Riku' to Naminé.

Sora nodded. "The guy at the store, right?"

Riku grimaced. "Em… yeah. Listen I'm sorry about that."

A hand waved the apology away. "It was nothing." He grinned, making Riku respond in turn. He had missed that stupid grin. "I'm Sora." Yes, he knew.

Sora's eyes scrutinised him, as if searching, causing a brief flicker of panic to flip his stomach. "So, are you new here?"

Riku shrugged, the feeling vanishing just as quickly as it had come. That brief glimmer of hope that he might remember disappearing. "I'm just visiting really." He stared back out to the ocean. "This place reminds me a lot of my home."

"It must be nice then, where you come from." Sora's eyes still stared blankly at the horizon, not really paying attention as he lost himself in the view.

"It is."

It was strange, awkward in a way and Riku had never experienced a stilted conversation with Sora. Any silences in their childhood had been comfortable, the amount of time they dragged on no matter, knowing that eventually one of them would break it. Not even when they had met on opposite sides in the past had there been nothing at all to say.

There was so much to say, but Riku just couldn't say it.

He didn't like it. He wanted things to go back to the way they always had been. Sora to know who he was and everything back to normal. The three of them back home.

If it was up to him to fix it then Riku knew what he had to do.

The weather turned and the first few droplets of rain began to fall from the sky. With a sigh, Sora stood up from the sand, shaking his hair and grinning at Riku.

"So are you staying for long?"

Riku shook his head. "No, but I'm definitely coming back."

**To be continued…**

* * *

Ending notes - Kioshi means quiet. I figured it kind of fit Riku - hence the naming of his Dad.

Let me know what you think…


	5. Chapter Five

Thanks for the comments! The bad news is this chapter was later than expected; the good news is the next chapter should be up within a little over a weeks time.

* * *

**Bind These Broken Chains**

**Chapter Five**

_She was tired._

_Tired and in need of sleep, tired of the view in front of her and tired, most of all, of waiting. _

_Days seemed to blur endlessly into one another, the point in which she ceased to recall what day it was now long forgotten. The faint glimmer and appearances of the sun and moon the only reminder of just how much time seemed to be passing. Too much time. Far too long for the false assurances of her friends to be true and far too long for her own dwindling optimism and hope to remain. Waiting, she had discovered, no matter how much she put her heart into it, didn't get her anywhere. _

_She could stare out at the ocean for the rest of her life, hoping that he would come back, hoping everything would go back to normal, that she could close her eyes and he would be stood beside her again like old times. Hope, she had thought, was strong. It had kept her going through the longest days in the past, times when she had felt her friends would never return, moments in which it seemed time would drag on forever. _

_In the end, her wait had been worth it when she was reunited with her friends. The amount of time it had truly been showing in the changes in the pair, the growth of their bodies and the countless stories hidden behind their eyes. One smile from the both of them had eclipsed everything; waiting seemed nothing compared to the trials they had been through, separated and alone. Seeing them both whole and in front of her eyes, the two of them real and touchable, she would have waited all over again so long as she received the same outcome. _

_The here and now was a different matter entirely, the last conversation that she had had with Sora playing repeatedly through her head. She had wanted him to come home, he had been able to, free to come home and he had left. Leaving her with nothing but regret and missed opportunities, chances that were too far now out of her reach._

_She had been sure that he would return, insisting to anyone who even tried to suggest otherwise that he or she were wrong. She knew Sora; she believed in him, she knew that he wasn't going to come back. _

_Waiting was easy. It just didn't seem enough anymore._

"_Kairi?"_

_She shifted on the spot to meet Riku, unable to bring out any sort of greeting as his tired eyes met hers. He nodded at her anyway, feet crunching in the sand as he walked towards her, watching as he lowered himself to the sand, knees folding beneath him and shifting restlessly until he was comfortable. _

_It was routine by now, everyday Riku would arrive and sit by her side, insisting that she got her rest whilst he took over her vigil. Some days Kairi would obey, listlessly trudging back to the island and spending a few hours of restless sleep in her own home, others she would stay with Riku, her head resting lightly on his shoulder as she tried her best to stay awake. Always telling herself as she drifted off that the next time she opened her eyes Sora would come back to her. _

_Always, she had realised now, lying to herself._

_Like clockwork he opened his mouth, "You should get some-"_

"_He's not coming back, Riku."_

_With the words out in the open Kairi felt herself deflate, the exhaustion in her body overwhelming and forcing her to sink down onto the sand next to her friend. Closing her eyes, Kairi hugged her legs to her chest and buried her head in her knees. Being the one to voice aloud what they both knew to be true didn't make the reality any easier to swallow._

"_What?" He paused, "Kairi?"_

_She twisted her head to the side to gather Riku's reaction, her head resting lightly on her arm and hair trailing down to tickle her skin. His saddened eyes blinked at her, filled with questions she didn't want to answer. He turned away as if to gather his thoughts, seemingly arguing with himself as to which way he should go and then heaving a regretful sigh as he gave in. _

"_He's not."_

_It was a simple statement, straight to the point and Kairi couldn't stop the trickle of hatred that ran through her at his admittance. He had given up, and so had she._

_There was a moment of silence in which neither attempted to speak, both allowing the truth and what it meant to sink in._

"_Riku?" Kairi's voice, a whisper in reality, was deafening to her own ears._

"_There was nothing anyone could have said at that moment to make him stay." _

"_Riku, I-." She nodded, remaining silent instead of finishing the sentence. _

_A beat and then, "I suppose we'll just have to find him and make him listen this time." _

_Kairi blinked, head leaving her arm and looking up in surprise. Riku turned to her with a smile and pushed himself to his feet, holding out his hand and waiting for her reaction. She gladly took a hold and with his help pulled herself up. "We'll find him, Kairi, I promise."_

_She had believed in Sora and she trusted Riku. She needed to do something herself._

_The sun was beginning to set, day fading into night and the cycle beginning anew._

"_I know we will."_

* * *

"Sora?"

Holding two glasses of water in her hands, both complete with clinking ice cubes and straws and slick with condensation, Naminé peered into the destruction that had once been their garden. Clumps of weeds lay haphazardly discarded in front of her, numerous holes in the soil showing where they had once been rooted, lazily existing and growing until they had met Sora.

"Over here."

Being careful as to keep both her footing and liquid-full glasses in tact, Naminé hopped over the pile, spying Sora kneeling on a patch of grass as he attacked yet another patch of weeds. He had decided earlier on in the day that the garden was due for a complete overhaul, something that Naminé was in agreement with, she just hadn't expected him to be quite as - a clod of dirt flew past her head - enthusiastic.

"I thought you could do with a break."

Sora looked up at the sound of her voice, leaning back to rock comfortably on his knees and giving a grateful smile. He placed down the trowel in his hands and accepted the proffered glass, gulping down the cool water in three mouthfuls. "Thanks."

"I see you've been busy." She took back the empty glass, eyeing Sora's new domain with an amused smile. Since he had begun not less than two hours ago, more than half of the garden had been de-rooted and turned over, leaving behind layers of rich, exposed earth awaiting the new plant life that Sora had yet to find.

"It's hard work." He sat back, rubbing a hand over his tired face and smudging dirt into his skin.

Naminé eyed his hands with a grimace, soil ingrained into every crevice of his fingers so that it looked like they would never come clean. "You're a dope, Sora." She leant forward and ran her own clean hand over his cheek, succeeding only in wiping a little soil off his face and onto her own hand.

"I always thought it looked easy." He moved his gaze over to regard his morning's work, pleased with what he had succeeded to tackle and overwhelmed with the amount of work he had yet to start.

Naminé followed his stare. "I think it takes a lot of time to get it all settled properly. We've not even got anything yet to replace all these weeds."

"My Mom always made it look so simple."

Naminé nodded, taking a sip of her own drink in want of nothing better to say.

Lost in his past Sora continued on, oblivious to the slight discomfort that Naminé exuded. "Whenever she had some spare time, she always seemed to be pottering around in the garden, do you remember?"

Naminé took another sip of water, the liquid suddenly bitter tasting in her mouth. Unaware, Sora looked up at her expectantly, patiently awaiting her answer to his question. She swallowed the drink with difficulty and gave him a small smile in response, hoping it would be enough of an answer.

"I used to like those little blue flowers she planted," He grinned and gave a quiet laugh, "They always used to make me sneeze."

"You probably had hay fever."

"I think it was just the blue ones." He paused, looking at her questioningly, "Do you ever miss them, Naminé?"

He missed the wince that crossed her face momentarily. It was times like this that Naminé tried to avoid as much as possible. Considering that it had been around six years since it had all happened, conversations on their past were few and far between, something that she was always extremely grateful for.

Deep down Naminé hated what she had done. There was always a sense of guilt that seemed to be forever hovering over her, lurking in the background and coming to the fore when moments like this occurred, leaving her feeling smothered with blame and fear.

She hated having to pretend. It didn't matter how easily she could manipulate lies and weave them into Sora's conscious. It would never be something she was happy with, even as time past and so many false words tumbled out of her mouth so easily, she had promised to help Sora, even if that promise meant lying to his face to protect him.

"Naminé?"

He looked up at her sadly, seemingly taking her silence to mean she too missed the past. She didn't, not one bit. "Sora."

She had never meant to hurt him though. Taking away his home and his family was necessary, even if it caused him pain.

Naminé took a step forward and lowered herself beside him, placing a palm flat against his cheek and directing him to look her in the eyes. He looked to her for an answer and she gave him one. "I think she'd have loved your garden."

He nodded, his eyes slowly roaming the morning's work he had accomplished, pulling her hand into his own, interlacing their fingers and giving a tight squeeze. "I think she would," he turned back to her with a grin, solemn mood forgotten as he picked up his trowel and rammed it roughly into the earth. There was plenty of work to be completed before he could say it was finished. "You want to lend a hand?" He looked up at her, eyes filled with a teasing twinkle.

At the turn of conversation, Naminé gave a small sigh of relief. Scrunching up her nose at him and the thought of helping out. Spending the morning sat in soil was not her idea of fun, and to put it bluntly Sora was a mess. "I think I'll be cleaning up the dirt you leave behind when you come back into the house." She grinned back at him, "That's my contribution, unless you want to-"

"No help needed."

Naminé nodded, "I thought that might be your answer." She bent down to place her own half drunk glass of water on the grass, leaving the drink by his side in case he required it later. "You'll call me if you need anything?"

He nodded, already busying his hands in pulling out masses of what Naminé took to be weeds. The conversation of what he had left behind forgotten for the moment.

The past, Naminé figured, was best left where it was.

* * *

Three little words and Kairi felt her world turn.

A flurry of emotion swept through her, leaving her feeling light headed and unable to speak. Unable to grasp what this meant. It had finally happened after all of this time.

Overwhelmed, she took a deep breath, shifting her feet in the sand beneath her to settle her nerves. It was real, she was real, this was real, and sand was in her shoes, real, all of it real. Still, she had to ask, "You're sure?"

Riku nodded, his eyes a brighter green than the dull shade they had been for the past few years. On close inspection, his whole demeanour seemed lighter, a weight having been taken off his shoulders now that he had found their friend. "I'm sure."

They were words that Kairi had been longing to hear for far too long now, simple words that she had feared would never be spoken. In one swift movement, she was clasped around his waist, almost throwing Riku to the floor with the unexpected move.

"Riku, thank you." Tears slipped down her face, soaking into Riku's clothes as she held onto him, shaking.

Together they stood, cool ocean air brushing past them as she wept, tightly holding onto her friend as she released all of her misplaced fears, tears that she had kept inside of her over the years. Sora was alive and well, Riku had found him and together they would bring him back, that was all that mattered to Kairi. She had yet to discover the truth and Riku would keep it that way for as long as he could.

**To be continued…**

* * *

Let me know what you think. 


	6. Chapter Six

Thanks for the comments. A much quicker chapter as promised. Enjoy!

* * *

**Bind These Broken Chains**

**Chapter Six**

"_Once you're back on your feet again we can start thinking about where to go next."_

_Silence was Naminé's only answer, not that she had ever expected to hear a voice in return, silence, it seemed was her only companion for the moment. As it had been for the last few days, she was used to the oppressive atmosphere by now, and in truth, talking aloud was mainly for her own benefit. Tucked away in _

_the small room they had acquired, and having obstinately refused any minimal help that had been offered to her, Naminé had learned to appreciate the sound her own voice made. _

_She wrung out the dripping wet cloth held in her hands, replacing the bowl of cool water she had been using onto a side cabinet and placing the cloth to Sora's forehead. At the slight touch, Sora squirmed, a disgruntled frown twisting onto his face at the newly applied pressure. For a split second, Naminé wondered whether he might awaken, an annoyed murmur whispering through the room as he tossed and turned. _

_A minute passed by with Naminé holding her breath, watching in anticipation as Sora shifted under the covers, his face relaxing and returning back to the numbing hold of sleep. The blonde sighed, she had managed to keep Sora awake for as long as possible once they had left, but as soon as she had found them accommodation and Sora's head had hit the pillow he'd been out flat. _

_The worst of his injuries she had managed to bathe and wrap, keeping an eye on his temperature as best as she could, as well as insisting whenever possible that he drank some water, but Sora had been out of it for a while now and Naminé couldn't help but worry. She knew that his body was resting, using its own way of fixing itself whilst it could, she knew that she needed her own rest as well, her body longing for the same treatment as she wearily watched over him. _

"_You know once you wake up it'll be my turn, then I'll be the one to sleep in for days on end."_

_Nothing._

_Of course, that reality was nothing but a dream; the truth of the matter was that once Sora was fit enough to travel again the two of them would have to be on their way. With Sora in his defeated state when they had left, Naminé had not been able to go far. They were still much too close to anyone who would be looking for them and Naminé was certain that they would already be on their way, searching._

"_They'll want to find you."_

_She readjusted the cloth, moving it back into place as it slipped down to cover Sora's eye, her fingers brushing his brow and discovering that his temperature had indeed dropped a little. _

_He mumbled the words too quiet for Naminé to hear, turning towards her, even though his face remained blank in sleep. "Kairi?"_

_The name made her flinch, her hand twisting in the covers as she waited anxiously to see if Sora was awake and would say anymore. _

_Time passed by and the room remained silent except for the sound of his relaxed breathing and the sound of her own thumping heart._

_To take apart and rebuild all of Sora's chains would take time, and in the limited time set Naminé had been given, she had only been able to do the bare minimum, taking the recent past away from Sora's memory, but little else. If she were to do as Sora had asked… everything else would have to go too. _

"Make me forget."

_His words flew through her head, her hand lifting up from his forehead and moving to land on his chest._

_What Naminé really wanted was for Sora to wake up, she was tired of holding conversations with herself; she wanted to get away from the tightness of the cramped room, leave this world and all of its possible fears and threats behind. _

_She wanted to keep her promise to Sora._

_Naminé knew that to get what you wanted, sometimes, things had to be sacrificed in return. _

* * *

Cho had really popped into the coffee shop for a bite to eat, a coffee and her usual fun filled hour of island gossip with the shop's owner, Mai. Yet as she had walked into the establishment, paper tucked comfortably under one arm, made her way to a free table and signalled for her usual order; she couldn't help but notice the pair that sat secluded away in a corner.

Not that there was anything special about the couple, a pretty red head with tired eyes and her companion, an imposing, pale skinned male with silver hair, a colour that wasn't common to the island, but Cho had seen once or twice before. Countless visitors came and visited Providence, most passing through on their way to a bigger city, but the occasional few stopping and relaxing in the town itself. The regular changing faces in the town was something that Cho felt no need to keep her eye on, unless, of course, it was in her business to do so.

What had caught her eye concerning the pair was the tension that practically thrummed between them, the girl, for Cho was far too old to consider her anything more, picking the unfortunate pastry placed in front of her apart with jerking movements, her lips set in a thin line as she studied her plate. The boy beside her sat half facing the girl and half-turned away, this time eating his breakfast, but clearly not enjoying it, a grim twist to his face as he tried his best to pretend there was nothing wrong.

Cho's own order arrived, a couple of minutes passing by as she sipped at her own coffee, watching the boy finish his breakfast and the girl tear more into her own.

Once finished he pushed his plate away, his arm stretching out to pick up his drink until he caught sight of the glare the girl was sending him, her hand paused mid air, waiting. To give him credit, he was trying his best to pretend and act as if all was still pleasant, his eyes staring intently at anything but his companion in his pretence. His fingers wrapped around the glass, lifting it up and slowly raising it to his mouth, her hand striking down flat against the table and causing all of the crockery to jump and all animated conversation in the shop to fade down and die.

The glass landed back on the table, a tired look crossing his face as his façade crumbled, his hand moving into a gesture that asked the girl to be reasonable, painfully aware that they were drawing attention to themselves with their antics. Cho hissed to herself, unaware what the pair's argument was about, but knowing as both a woman and an onlooker that the move had just signalled the boy's end.

The girl's eyes blazed, erasing all former signs of tiredness as they narrowed with each passing second, her hand tightening in on itself as she waited for his next move, an apology no doubt, but it seemed the boy had resumed with his original plan, retrieving his glass from the table and taking a sip.

Cho grinned.

The girl's chair making a rough screeching noise as she abruptly backed away from the table, both refusing to give in and studiously ignoring the other as she determinedly left her seat and walked out of the shop.

He sat still for a moment, Cho noticing that she wasn't the only one now that was intrigued and staring at one-half of the quarrelling couple, in fact most of the coffee shop were discreetly trying to look his way.

His hand tapped agitatedly against the table until with a sigh he gave in and stood up from his seat. He gulped down a quick mouthful of juice, fished around in his pockets for enough notes to cover the bill and flung them onto the table, signalling to Mai that he had done so and then jogging the last few steps out the door to follow his friend.

It was with an amused smile that Cho watched him leave, her mind already ticking over all the possibilities of the quarrelling couple, it wasn't often that people put on such a good display whilst she ate.

Cho knew a good story when she saw one, taking another sip of her coffee, relaxing back into her seat and waiting for Mai to join her, her friend would be able to fill her in on everything.

* * *

Kairi stormed out of the shop in a fit of rage, ignoring the fact that she didn't have the slightest clue which direction led where, or where she even wanted to go as she turned right and made her way past the row of stores. Her hurried steps quickly taking her to a crossroads, leaving her with the choice of either walking further into the town's crop of houses, or turning left and heading for what looked like the beach or letting go of her temper and turning back to Riku.

The first option sounded tempting, a small part of her even wondering whether she would be able to spot the house that Sora lived in just from its look and belongings. That perhaps amongst the carefully tended lawns and colourfully painted doors there might be some hidden clue or painfully obvious reason as to where their friend lived. The second idea would probably calm her down, Riku had said that Providence was strangely similar to Destiny Islands, but so far, the little that Kairi had seen had just seemed flawed in some small, yet important way. As if pointing out that this truly wasn't her home, that Sora had chosen to live here because it looked like his home, but really wasn't. The beach, with its crashing waves and beating sun seemed the most likely place for her home to be mirrored without its multiple flaws. The third option, going back to Riku was a definite no.

Despite Riku's insistence that they would find and approach Sora together, upon arriving in Providence, he had quickly changed his mind and claimed that it would be best if Kairi stayed put in the hotel. In his defence, he had been quick to sense her absolute loathing of his idea, not to mention on the tip of her tongue refusal and quickly maintained that it would only be until he decided what their next move should be. The best way around everything, he had claimed.

Kairi had obstinately refused to agree. She didn't see how keeping locked away in a small hotel room, her only amusement flicking through tourism leaflets, whilst Riku went wandering about at his leisure, catching glimpses of Sora here and there would help them in any way to bring him back.

Kairi had done enough waiting around to last her a lifetime and more. This time she was going to take matters into her own hands, with Riku's help or without, she just wasn't going to stand back and watch it all take place from the sideline. Once they'd made Sora see sense she was going to be there for him, right by his side, helping anyway she could.

The only fault/missing detail in her plan was just how the pair of them were going to make Sora see sense. Kairi couldn't quite imagine the three of them shaking hands, smiling, laughing and resolving all of the past in one quick conversation. In truth, she was nervous as to what Sora's reaction would be when they finally met.

Unknowingly she had made her way into the town's living area, the sound of playing children floating through the air and the sight of people passing by their windows, shadows against the glass as they attended to their everyday lives bringing her back into reality.

Despite her misgivings, Providence to the eye was a quaint, little town. Something that made a little bubble of fear dance about in her stomach. When she had finally agreed and allowed herself to admit Sora wasn't coming back she had imagined all sorts of worlds that he would run to, half imagining Sora to be hiding in some dank hole somewhere, secreted away and generally missing the light, laughter and familiar sights of his own world. Optimistic maybe, but to think that all of this time he had been living a perfectly normal, happy, imitated life on his own was a little hard to bear.

It made her wonder whether Sora had intentionally moved on, forgotten about everything that had happened in the past and started anew. He had replaced the islands with an artificial image, similar but with none of the past's bitter recollections. It made her wonder whether the same existence applied for her.

Suddenly Kairi was beginning to see the logic in Riku's suggestion, the longer she explored and looked around, the more her worries and insecurities began to settle in.

Walking a little quicker, Kairi made her way through the streets, tracing her way back to the main section of town and keeping an eye out for Riku along the way. He had been insistent that she stay out of the way since last night and reluctant even to invite her along for breakfast, suggesting that he bring her something back instead, but Kairi had been having none of it, tagging along and a stormy silence settling between them. It was surprising therefore that they hadn't yet crossed paths.

She crested the hill and came back along the row of shops, the sun beating down in full force as the day settled in, her hand hovering over her eyes in an attempt to spot her friend. She could, she knew, make her way back to the hotel and await Riku's return there, the full force of his look of disapproval hovering just around the corner. Yet tempted as she was to receive a lecture, Kairi turned away from the road to the hotel and instead took the winding path down to one of the islands beaches.

The sound of crashing waves swarmed her ears, blemished rocks jutting out of the sand slicked with seaweed and embedded with creatures shells. Slipping off her shoes, Kairi strolled down to the lapping sea, the familiar sinking sand beneath her feet and water rushing past her toes comforting and peaceful as she allowed herself to relax.

To think that she had originally come from a world with no ocean, sand or even seagulls seemed wrong. Destiny Islands was her home now and forever, she just needed the missing piece of the puzzle for it all to be complete.

"Kairi!"

The familiar voice filled with alarm and almost a hurried hiss set Kairi's stomach feeling queasy.

Slowly she turned around, Riku jogging to her side, his face wearing a pained expression that did nothing to help her jitters.

"Riku?"

"We should get going."

It wasn't just his tone, the anxious glint to his eyes or the fact that he had neglected to mention their argument. No, there were numerous signs that Riku was hiding something from her, she had just been trying to tell herself that there wasn't. Ever since he had told her the news there had been something just on the tip of his tongue, words that hadn't quite been able to make it out of his mouth.

"Come on, Kai."

He moved his hand to slip around her shoulder, Kairi avoiding the touch and ducking out of his grasp.

"Where is he?"

She couldn't hear Riku's response, the blood rushing through her head and rising to a roaring crescendo. Sora was here, he had to be.

Her eyes scanned the beach desperately, landing on the back of a familiar spiky head in the distance that made all of the breath rush out of her in one fell swoop.

"Riku?" She wanted confirmation; she wanted to be sure.

"I'm sorry. Kairi-" She couldn't feel Riku's hand clasp around her own, tugging lightly in an effort to make her move.

When she looked back on the moment later, she would realise just how foolish she had been, but for the life of her in those few precious minutes, all Kairi had been able to see was Sora.

Only when a slim, pale pair of arms wrapped themselves around Sora's shoulders, pulling him in towards a blonde head did Kairi realise just why Riku was apologising. The extra piece to the picture she had neglected to see revealing itself.

For a moment, Kairi's heart seemed to pause in its beats, watching frozen as Sora leaned in willingly, bending to meet the girl's lips with his own.

"Kairi?" Riku's hand tugged insistently on her own, one shoe slipping out of her grasp and falling into the pulling tide.

She didn't notice Riku pluck the item out of the sea, or remember when exactly he had taken hold of the other, pulling her away from the scene, from the beach and Sora. All that Kairi could see was a heavy blackness all around her, the sight of what she had seen playing through her head, words and promises Sora had spoken to her so long ago now sounding bitter and twisted.

Somewhere along the line, it had all gone wrong, she had been waiting for so long… and Sora had just moved on.

**To be continued…**

* * *

Just a little side note to say that there's not even the slightest hint of KairixRiku here, no matter if it might seem that way, the two are just going to stay friends. I have no idea when the next chapter will be up, the brain needs to recharge a little first, hopefully shouldn't be too long though. Let me know what you think… 


	7. Chapter Seven

Sorry this chapter's so late. I took a break from this to try to write something different. It kind of occupied my time for a little too long and I then got hit by the dreaded, 'I-can't-write-a-sentence-to-save-my-life' Thing. So all fics pretty much went nowhere for a while. That being said this chapter wasn't particularly easy to write without it dissolving into 'evil soap' territory, so yeah, it's pretty heavy on the drama/angst, and hopefully not too soap-ish. Now that I've filled you with so much optimism for it…

Muchly appreciate all of your comments though, especially the people I can't directly thank personally through the system.

* * *

**Bind These Broken Chains**

**Chapter Seven**

_There was something ultimately peaceful about the island. _

_A sense, however small and fleeting, that it was the right place to be. Home. Somewhere Sora had been searching for, for so long now. Forever finding snippets, but nowhere near the whole… But here something about the place told him it was right._

_He closed his eyes, tasting the salt on his lips and smelling the brine in the air, relishing in the quiet of the beach as everything fell into place. Leaving him feeling the most relaxed, he had felt in a while. He shifted, sensing her movement beside him as she turned to lay her head on his shoulder, a satisfied sigh escaping her lips. Her eyes slipping closed silently and instinctively huddling closer as a soft breeze blew by. He wrapped an arm around her tightly, pulling her close as he too felt the chill of the evening. _

_It was almost perfect. Everything that he had ever pictured, subconsciously or not; of what his home should be. A place he felt he could truly settle down in for life. Somewhere he wanted to remain. _

_There was just… _

_He moved, causing Naminé to stir and awaking her in time to hear his whisper._

"_Something missing." _

_Regretfully, the blonde-haired woman sat up slowly beside him, pulling herself out of his grasp, her brow furrowed._

_Apologetic, Sora turned to her with a meek expression. "Sorry, did I wake you?" He hadn't meant to voice his thoughts aloud, wandering and incomprehensible as they were._

_She neglected to answer him, blue eyes staring unwavering into his own. _

"_What do you mean?" _

_His voice was soft as he answered, as if he was unsure of voicing his feelings aloud. "It's almost the same."_

"_Almost the same as what?" Her hand gripped his tightly, both sets of fingers turning white under the pressure._

_He shrugged easily, missing the tense lines of her body as she waited for his answer. "I don't know. My idea of home I guess." He laughed, suddenly feeling self-conscious at his admittance. _

"_You like it here?"_

_He paused before he answered. They had been wandering for so long now, always moving, never stopping, and forever running from one place to the next. They had never been able to settle down for too long. Neither feeling content with their surroundings. _

_Silly or maybe it was just unimaginable in his eyes, either way Providence seemed like a place he could call home._

_He turned to her, his face thoughtful. "I do." _

_Naminé moved to watch the shore, twisting her body to lie comfortably against his own. "Then we should stay."_

_It took a moment for the words to sink in. _

"_Naminé?" _

_He blinked, looking down at her surprised. Her steady gaze and soft smile staring back. "I want you to be happy, Sora." _

_He smiled back, lifting and kissing the palm of her hand, content in listening to the sweet tones of her laughter. "I am." He nodded; his gaze moving to stare out at the small towns shifting colours as dusk approached swiftly. The island that was to be their new home. _

"_We will be." _

_They would start anew together._

* * *

"Riku." 

It was the first time she had spoken since they had arrived back, following Riku without question as he had taken her back to the hotel. A constant silent shadow as he had led her into their room, showing her to one of the beds and encouraging her to sit down. Complying instinctively and barely noticing as Riku retreated to reflect on the moment away from her, allowing her the time she needed before they inevitably talked it over.

Since then she had not moved, just sat silently upon the bed, frozen and lost.

Her thoughts were a malicious whirlwind of pain and confusion - with everything that she had secretly feared over the past few years coming to life. Her heart was broken, shattered and in pieces. With an eternity of moments from the past lying before her damaged.

_How could he have done this to her?_

_How had she allowed it to happen? _

Kairi bit her lip, her eyes squeezing shut tightly.

_She had believed that he loved her._

…_and in the end, he had left. Could she really have made him stay if he didn't want to?_

"Riku." This time she waited until she was sure he had heard her. Her voice a tight whisper when she spoke, "Did you know?"

He chose not to look at her, instead breathing in heavily as if weighing up the possibilities of what best to say.

She didn't allow him that time, repeating the question in a strained cry.

He nodded once, a look of apology crossing his face.

"Why didn't you tell me?" She murmured, hands balling into tight fists on her lap. "Why didn't you let me know?"

He visibly winced. "It was difficult-"

"-What were you going to do?"

"I don't-"

"_Why_?"

She stood up from the bed, heated eyes glaring at him accusingly.

"Kairi?"

"Why, Riku? I don't understand."

His eyes widened as she finally moved, crumpling to the floor as she sobbed. Hot, angry tears pouring down her face as she tried to speak.

Wordlessly, Riku moved to her side, gathering her into his arms and pulling her protectively into his embrace. She was no longer referring to his lies, lost in everything that had slipped through her fingers.

"Why did he leave me, Riku?"

It was only then that he realised she didn't know.

* * *

_Sometimes his dreams were a dark hole, shapes and sounds that seemed familiar but forever out of his reach._

_Shadows passed before him, chains shifting and connecting as sleep took its hold. _

_There were times when memories long forgotten came to the surface. Seemingly lost but never gone. _

_The fleeting recollections forever retreating as he awoke…_

…_Waiting for the day when the light would summon them back for good._

_A whisper… _

…"_Sora?"…_

* * *

"Naminé?" 

Her blue-eyed gaze stared back at him confused. Red-rimmed, tired looking and searching for something that Riku wasn't sure he could give.

He nodded anyway, the bed he was perched upon suddenly feeling dry, scratchy and uncomfortable. He hated, more than anything that he had to be the one to tell her.

"He didn't recognise you?"

"Not once."

She nodded, turning her attention to her hands as her fingers tapped agitatedly at her skirt. Her lips pursed, as she appeared to be contemplating all the information he had given her, seemingly trying to make sense out of it all. A lost cause, he thought, as he still wasn't sure what had happened himself.

"So?" She looked up at him blankly, "He won't know who I am?"

Riku stood up from the bed, passing a tired hand through his hair. "I really don't know." There had never been a single flicker of recollection from Sora in the few times they had met, but then he had to believe, for all their sakes, that if anyone could make even the slightest impact, it would be Kairi.

"Why?"

He turned back to her, catching her wiping her eyes with the heel of her palms.

"Why would she do this?"

He was at a loss for words, unable to shrug his shoulders as she waited patiently for his answer. 'Why' was a question that could have a thousand answers and no matter how many times Riku had thought over the possibilities, not one of them would be what Kairi wanted to hear.

He moved to sit beside her, her hand seeking his and gripping tightly. Allowing a thick silence to crawl its way once again through the room. With neither moving for a time as questions and possible answers wandered in and out of their minds, both hesitant to speak them aloud.

Secretly, Riku wondered whether they had made the right decision, that Sora hadn't chosen this - though he didn't understand how - and they weren't letting themselves in for a world of pain. He glanced at Kairi, her hair falling in a curtain to shadow her face, wondering whether it would have been for the best if he had discouraged her from the start. That maybe he should never have suggested finding Sora themselves.

Without a sound Kairi leaned back to flop heavily against the bed, her hand still entwined with his. Her fingers were tight against his own as if she feared to let go, her eyes closing drowsily as he watched. Still not knowing what to say as she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

It was a while later before Kairi awoke, Riku having moved away from the bed to stand beside the window, seemingly having gotten no rest himself. 

Bleary-eyed she sat up, bringing a hand to her head as she yawned. Guessing that her sleep had been fitful at best for how refreshed she felt from having it.

Slowly she shuffled her way further up the bed, bringing her knees up to her chest and tucking her chin in-between. Sleep had brought her no further clarity on the situation, despite what she been wishing, her thoughts still a mixed up mess of confusion.

The truth had been a slap in the face, something that Kairi still found it hard to wrap her mind around. In either situation Sora had forgotten her, intentional or not. It was the fear that he had purposefully chosen it that set her nerves on edge.

Would he really have done to that to them? To her?

"Are you okay?"

She heaved a tired sigh, one that seemed to move the whole of her body. Was she okay? Surely, Riku already knew the answer to that one but she still felt the need to reply honestly, "It hurts."

"I know." He confessed, offering nothing further as he waited for what she had to say.

"Do you think…" She bit her lip hesitant. It was the one question that had plagued her mind the most. "Do you think that he chose this?"

Riku swallowed hard, "I can't answer that."

She nodded, accepting his answer. She couldn't imagine it. The Sora that she knew would never willing erase them from his life… but then Sora had been different when he'd left her. The Sora that she _knew_ would never have done that, yet he had. Was it really impossible to think that he'd intentionally chosen to forget? To make it all go away?

It was senseless really, all of it. Trying to pick apart what may, could or did happen wouldn't work. She could spend an entire lifetime wondering over the circumstances, but in the end only two people knew the answer to her question.

She shifted and moved off the bed, dusting down her skirt with her hands. She breathed in heavily. "Riku," her voice was firm despite the butterflies dancing in her stomach, "I think I'm done with not knowing the truth."

Riku turned to her without a word, the decision made.

Kairi tried to smile, she really did, but the fact that everything she had believed in for the past few years could be about to come crashing down all around her, with something so simple and insignificant as a single sentence, was enough to make her want to run.

In some ways, she could understand why someone would choose to believe in such lies, if, in the end, it took all the pain away.

* * *

Alarm bells were ringing in Naminé's head, her stomach doing flips as she paced around the house. She was supposed to be doing something productive, the dishes, reading a book, _anything _to occupy her mind. But even as she settled down, ready to put her thoughts to something else she felt that niggling excitement creep up from the back of her head.

Naminé stopped pacing long enough to stare at her reflection in the hall's mirror, unable to keep the ridiculous grin off her face as she thought about what lay ahead. Sora had suggested that they go out for the night, even going so far as to have already pre-booked a table in one of the best restaurants just across on the coast on the next island. Not that it wasn't uncommon for Sora to spring surprises on her, but as far as Naminé was concerned, it could mean only one thing.

It was now three hours and forty-eight minutes later and Sora was due back at any second. She just had to keep calm, keep the huge grin off her face and pretend she didn't have a clue what was going on. The last thing she wanted was to spoil the surprise.

She walked away from the mirror and strode into the kitchen, hoping to calm her jittery nerves with a quick glass of water. She'd already picked out her ideal outfit, the simple dress waiting for her to slip it on upstairs. She had decided to leave her hair down for the night and she'd even concluded not to wear any jewellery ready. Everything was set; she just needed Sora to come home.

Naminé slipped the glass under the tap and took a quick sip, pausing and reluctantly swallowing as she heard a slight shuffle from the front door. A beat later and the knocking started. With a sigh, Naminé set down the glass, treading across the kitchen and into the hall. Sora was such an idiot at times.

Her hand gripped around the door handle, twisting and pulling in one fluid movement. A telling off on the amount of times he'd been told to keep a hold of his keys on the tip of her tongue.

"Sora, how many-"

Her smile fell and her heart froze in its beats.

The illusion of everything she had created shattering as she stared at the painfully familiar man who stood on the steps of her home.

**To be continued…**

* * *

Just to say that there will be no more flashbacks from now on, anyone who can guess what that means gets a cookie! Let me know what you think… 


	8. Chapter Eight

Same bumbling excuses apply. It's not like I'm doing it on purpose, so sorry. Think of it this way, I had to wait a little over a year for one of the fics I'm reading, put side by side this wait doesn't seem so long, hmmm?

Thanks for all your comments and such, they're what keeps this ficlet continued!

* * *

**Bind These Broken Chains**

**Chapter Eight**

It was as if everything was a dream. One of those terrible nightmares filled with pressing, all consuming darkness, turning everything dull and grey before her eyes. The image of her home, the life she had built hardening and turning brittle the longer she stared, knowing that if she moved it would break, shatter, turn everything she had worked so hard for into pieces.

Instinctively, upon meeting him face to face, she froze. A quivering breath rushing from her lips, as time seemed to come back into focus.

_What was he doing here?_

Reluctantly, with every bone in her body protesting, Naminé took a step forward, her hand slipping and the door opening just that little bit further to reveal the man in front of her in full.

Automatically, as if something had just switched itself on, she pushed back again, regaining that distance as she tried to put everything back together in her head.

_He couldn't be here._

A loud ringing noise pulsed between her ears, her mind forcefully blocking out what it meant to have him here stood on her doorstep, what it now set in motion for her future… She shut her eyes tight, what this would now mean for Sora…

_How none of this was supposed to happen._

She tried to speak, her voice disappearing in her throat and her tongue thickly frozen to the roof of her mouth. Sora would be back any minute, he would turn up and _he _would be stood at their door waiting…

She could not allow that to happen, she just couldn't.

"W…what…?"

She swallowed, the sound of her own voice having a strange underwater quality to it. The words that she wanted to say; needed to say, thick and heavy in her mouth. She shook her head, licking her lips and breathing in deeply. Exhaling with a shaky breath, Naminé tried once again, coating her voice with as much faked innocence as she could muster.

"What are you doing here?" In her shocked state, the sentence came out as more of an accusation.

Emotionless eyes looked up into hers. A bright flush colouring her cheeks in response, knowing instantly how he knew she was clutching at straws. Trying that last ditch effort to make it all go away. She grimaced, wishing upon anything that if she pressed her eyes tight enough, when she opened them again she would still be lying in her bed. That she had nothing to face but herself desperately forcing her head into the pillow as she tried to claim those last five minutes of sleep, blatantly ignoring Sora's half hearted mumblings that they should really wake up…

Feeling a sense of loss already, she turned her head to the floor, studying the carpet by her feet. "You can't be here."

Seemingly untroubled he blinked back at her, his demeanour calm and perfectly relaxed. Making no move to leave or force his way in.

Swallowing back the nerves she was feeling and the uncomfortable twisting of her stomach, she flicked her gaze back up and out, searching for any sign of Sora. Feeling the limited time she had left tick by ever faster, knowing that she had to do something before the opportunity was taken out of her hands.

Steeling herself, she pressed on, looking him straight in the eye. "You have to leave."

A flicker of an emotion Naminé had seen before, but never even dreamt of having reflected at her stared back. He shifted forward. Hard cold resolve edged between the lines of his body. "I think we need to talk." He lifted his hand to press against the edge of the door, stopping Naminé from slamming it shut in his face. Not that it would have helped her in any way. There was really no running away from it now.

"Riku, please."

She took a careful step forward, her words desperate even though she knew they wouldn't hold. "Sora. He'll be back any second." If he came back to find him here none of it would make any sense. "What am I supposed to say?"

Laughter. "The truth. If you think you can put the lies aside for a moment?"

She winced, the words stinging just a little too close to home. "Riku--"

"Save it." He shook his head, not in the least bit interested in hearing her excuses. "You can fix it, right?" She hesitated and that was all the answer Riku needed. He pushed the door the remainder of the way open; taking the first few heated steps into her home and causing Naminé to stumble back against the wall.

Slowly, as if her movements weren't even her own, she allowed herself to slide to the floor, cautiously following his actions from the corner of her eye. She didn't move to stop him; she couldn't, allowing his gaze to roam around what she and Sora had made their home together. Destroying each moment they had ever spent there, each new memory they had created with every single intake of her breath.

She closed her eyes tight, wishing once again that it would all go away. Her mind racing with endless possibilities on how she could fix this, where she had gone wrong, how she could make it all disappear.

She needed Sora with her now.

"When will he be back?"

The words went over her head, lost as she was in her own world of questions. Irritated, Riku turned back to face her, his voice rising, "When will he be back?"

Alarmed, Naminé shook her head, pressing her hands to her face as if to shut it all out. Pushing his limits with everything she had already done, Riku launched himself into her corner, forcefully grabbing a hold of her wrist and pulling him up to face him properly. "When will he be back?"

"I don't know." She whispered, trying to keep her voice steady, "I don't know."

Frustrated with the moment, Riku pushed himself away, turning his back on her and closing his eyes. Wearily he ran a hand through his hair. "Why did you do it, Naminé? Why didn't you just leave well alone?"

Footsteps sounded to their left.

A voice soft and unsure, "What's going on?"

**

* * *

**

Watching Naminé answer the door, Kairi bit her lip tightly, recognising the features of the blonde instantaneously. Ironically a part of her wondered how she hadn't noticed the familiarity before, a little older, a little taller, but practically the same person when she came to look at it, the same girl that she had trusted with everything all those years ago.

Blankly, she watched the expressions of the other girl closely, internally wondering what was going through her head as Riku stood threateningly at her door. Was she worried? Was she shocked? Was she feeling everything fall apart just as she had? Was she wondering at which point everything had turned upside down?

Swallowing the growing urge to scream at her, Kairi breathed in deeply. Everything she was feeling swirling before her eyes as Riku pushed his way in, the door closing seconds later and leaving her alone outside with her feelings.

Waiting without the slightest hint at what was going on unnerved her, granted by now she should be an expert at it, but despite all of her practice, Kairi still found herself unsettled. Tension thrummed through her veins, her sane side only just fighting the temptation to throw all hell to their plan and barge in there with her questions. She would first demand to know why she had done it. Why she had taken him away? How she could have even possibly thought she would get away with it when she and Riku where still out there searching every day?

Forcing her growing anger to calm down and attempting to take her mind off what was going on, Kairi turned away from the property, idly standing by as she scoured where the pair had been living for the past few years. In truth, although she was unsure whether Sora was aware, the group of houses were a lot like the ones they had grown up in. Granted there were some differences, but in Kairi's mind, it was almost the exact same place that Sora had insisted he would one day own. Was it really all such a big coincidence?

Despite the situation and the nibbling fear that still bit at her, Kairi found a small smile highlighting her face. She had always liked to imagine that if nothing had happened and the three of them had carried on obliviously unaware of the countless worlds, that Sora would be living a life exactly like this back home. She liked to imagine that each one of them would have been content.

Breaking out of her reverie, Kairi turned back to face the house. Peering with everything she was worth into the lower window. Despite willing the door to open and Riku to inform her in on what was happening, nothing took place. Sighing agitatedly, Kairi turned back to face the street, her eyes widening as she recognised who was walking down the road.

Sora was back.

Feeling her breath catch in her throat, Kairi watched him walk towards her. Time seeming to slow just that little bit more with each step he took, her mouth parting as if she was going to call out, the temptation to stop in him in his tracks almost too much to bear.

The boy that she had grown up with from a messy child into a conscious teenager stood literally a stone's throw away, walking as if he hadn't a care in the world, unaware that his whole life would change any second now. He couldn't see her, true. If he could though, would he recognise her? Would he think there was something familiar about her eyes, would he see her as she was now, or how she had been when they were younger?

Remaining calm, despite her shaking muscles, Kairi pressed herself as far back as she could. Even with the desperate urge to see him and meet him face to face, Kairi didn't think she could cope with not being recognised. Just another face in the crowd was not how she had ever imagined her and Sora's relationship to be.

She had once asked Sora not to change, a stupid, childish request now that she looked back on it. Yet for the life of her, Kairi had never expected that somewhere along the way Sora would grow up and move on without her, forgetting she even existed in the process.

His shadow just an inch away from her, Sora turned aside and made his way to the door she had previously been watching. A content smile on his face, oblivious to the pair of eyes that followed his every step, nervously waiting for what was about to unfold.

His fingers wrestled with the keys, finding the door unlocked and pushing it gently open. Hesitantly Kairi held her breath, wishing, regardless of her own feelings that this didn't have to happen. It wasn't fair to any of them in the end.

The door remained open as Sora entered, intrigued by whatever was happening inside. Silently she followed, her feet taking the necessary steps forward into their home.

Once inside muffled voices drifted to her ears, temporarily ignored as she took in the sights before her. Sharp eyes cast about their home, taking in the comfortable décor, numerous pictures of the two of them together, both posing with bright, and electric smiles on their faces. The rooms even smelt of him, _her _perfume mingling with his and tainting the air. Barely able to take everything in at once without her eyes watering or her throat freezing up, Kairi hurried forward to where she could hear their raised voices.

Turning the corner, Kairi found them. A barely keeping it together Sora stood in the middle, confused. Naminé to her left in a state of shock and Riku at her right in what looked to be his attempt at scarcely containing his anger. Wrapping her fingers around the door, Kairi pulled herself into the room, her eyes falling on the closest one to her, Naminé. Heated eyes looked into timid blue, shying away Naminé turned back, her hand grasping onto a chair for support and sitting down heavily.

"I…"

"Naminé?" Sora at once stepped forward, concerned.

"Sora, don't." Alarmed, his steps came to a halt, frightened blue eyes flicking upwards, unsure who to look at next.

Breathing heavily, Kairi watched as he took a faltering step back. Noticing immediately that the smile she had always seen on his face was now gone without a trace.

Not understanding why, or even what possessed her to move, Kairi came to a silent stand in front of him. For a second no one moved, two pairs of eyes that hadn't seen each other for over six years staring intently into each other, noticing the changes that had occurred and the pain that had stemmed from them.

Slowly, she lifted a trembling arm, her hand hovering mere inches from his face.

She whispered his name, her lips feeling so numb that she couldn't even be sure she had spoken. He blinked back at her, uncertain, his lips forming words that she could not hear.

Shaking her head, her hand hesitated, the man in front of her looking so lost and confused, a mixture of the boy she had loved and the stranger who had now taken his place.

"Why did you leave me?"

A loud crack resounded in the air, followed instantly by a shocked cry of pain.

With a sharp intake of breath, Kairi lowered her now burning hand. Watching silently as Sora brought his own up to cradle his now red and stinging cheek.

"I know," She continued, her voice seething, "that you don't remember me, but-" Her voice cracked, her throat feeling too raw and painful to speak.

Shaking her head, Kairi tried to focus, "I don't understand!"

Moving his hand away from his cheek, Sora looked at her, panicked, "Kairi?"

**To be continued…**

* * *

So this is the deal, no I'm not giving up on this story, especially since as the ending is already written out! However, from next week I'm swapping countries for two months, so there's most definitely going to be even more of a delay between chapters. Eek! I'm hoping to get the next part typed up ready so that I can post it after I've arrived, but after that I'm afraid I have no idea when I'll even get to a computer. 

**Unfortunately, just to let everyone know: There will be no new updates until the middle/end of November. I'm currently in America (not my home country) working for Disney and only allowed access to the computer for half an hour at a time. Too many people want to send emails. Seeing as I only manage to access the computer once a week as well, you can see that it's just impossible. Apologies, but it's going to be a bit of a wait for anything new. **

Hopefully it won't be too long, but if there is a huge gap, rest assured I will return. Please don't kill me.


	9. Chapter Nine

Really, even I realise it's been ages since this fic was last updated, that long that the game's even been released over here! Apologies abound as always, hopefully people haven't yet given up hope or interest. Saying that, many, many, many thanks to everyone who commented on the last chapter.

Not to be confusing anyone, but please note that the very beginning of this chapter takes you slightly back in time before Kairi's pov. Sora insisted his, Naminé and Riku's part be shared.

* * *

**Bind These Broken Chains**

**Chapter Nine**

"What's going on?"

The familiar voice, though soft in its tone, cut clearly through to both sets of ears, rendering the arguing pair speechless where they stood, unable to do anything but turn towards the speaker that neither one had expected to hear just yet.

Taking in the scene before him, a carefully neutral expression displayed on his face, Sora knelt down to dispose of the belongings in his hands, slowly and cautiously rising up as his gaze swept over each one of the two in turn. Naminé, for her part, unable to look anything but guilt ridden as she wearily admitted to herself that everything now was truly over.

"Sora," Her voice was coloured with sorrow, her face a pale white as she looked up to meet him, her eyes searching his in an effort to discover just how much he had already overheard.

On instinct, sensing her distress, he took two steps towards her, clearly planting himself in the space between her and Riku. Tentatively her fingers found his arm, the familiar feeling of his clothes against her skin soft and comforting. Feeling the slight touch, his attention turned back to her. An impassive face stared back as before; one that she knew didn't belong on him, clearly unsure on how he was supposed to respond to what was going on.

"Sora," her voice cracked, "please, I-"

Harshly, his gaze left hers and flew over to Riku. The older man losing his confidence and looking lost faced with blurting out the truth to his former friend; his determination vanishing as the prospect lay waiting out before him.

Of course, despite what Naminé wished, there was no hope that Riku would just leave, "So," He cleared his throat, taking a breath and trying once again, "Sora?" The look the younger man threw at Riku stopped him dead in his tracks, a heavy, accusing stare that held no amount of warmth for the stranger in and upsetting his home.

Shaking his head, Riku turned towards Naminé as if she could provide him with an answer. A serious turn to her face as she shook her head shortly, saddened, frightened eyes piercing his as she silently pleaded with him to leave everything alone.

"Naminé!" Anger flooded her name.

Her fingers gripped tightly to his arm.

Her voice hushed and filled with pain as she spoke, "Riku, please… don't."

Her fingers lost their grip, falling slack to her side as Sora stepped back.

His voice quiet, "You two know each other." The sentence was hollow, not even a question really, but Naminé felt the need to nod an answer all the same.

She felt Riku take a step closer, her breath shaky as she waited, her mouth barely able to form the words, "You, you know him too."

Confused, Sora shook his head, eyes narrowing as he looked from one to the other.

Riku was quiet, clearly wanting to take charge of the situation, but lacking the skills needed to do so. His arms moved up to his sides in a placating gesture, his face twisted into a grimace as he watched everything slowly fall apart. "Sora,"

A small, false laugh interrupted his sentence, "We met once…" Sora stared at Riku, his head shaking slowly from side to side, "you bumped into me, right?" He turned back to Naminé, eyes questioning her statement.

A tearful smile took place on her face, her fingers twisting frantic circles around each other. "You knew him before that." She admitted, pausing to swallow, "you just-"

"-Can't remember." Riku didn't even glance her way, his eyes remaining fixed on Sora's face as he became more and more confused.

"What?" His voice was low, almost on the verge of a whisper and much more frightening than if he'd have shouted.

Naminé stared back at him, mouth parted slightly as if she had the answers on the tip of her tongue. Riku was speaking to her, his words a jumble as they slowly filtered through and out of her head, leaving her cocooned in the silence that was her own mind. Freely able to watch as Kairi stepped in to take her place in the tangled mess, undoing everything she had bound together with a single touch.

And Sora stared at her wide eyed… waiting for all the answers she could, but couldn't provide.

* * *

"I know it's hard to believe, understand-" Sora felt his head nodding automatically, waiting for someone to jump around the corner and shout surprise, for one of the two to crack up laughing uncontrollably. Yet they didn't. Riku kept saying things that didn't make any sense and Naminé seemed to be drifting further and further away with each passing second. Leaving him feeling more frantic and slightly less in control with every thought that flew through his head.

Surely, he was dreaming… but a sharp pinch to his left arm had already proven he was both awake, and capable of bruising.

Maybe he really had just forgotten… somehow misplaced this man from his youth… but talk of an island and growing up together, sandcastles and competitions, all words as far as Sora was concerned; just words that didn't make any sense in the slightest.

Nothing made any sense, and the one constant he did have wouldn't even look at him.

"Naminé?" Sora watched as she fell to sit heavily onto a chair, concern still tearing through him for her despite all of his clouded thoughts.

"Sora, don't!" He stopped. Teeth gritted and feeling as though everything would snap at any given second.

Warily, he stepped back, unsure which direction to go in or who to turn to as another stranger stepped into the room. All eyes turning as she made her entrance, making her way to stand in front of him and looking, for all of the world, more lost and confused than even he felt.

Staring, her eyes traced over his face, studying every single detail as though sketching him into her mind, her hand slowly reaching up to lay mere inches away from his skin, her lips moving to sound out his name in a whisper. As though she knew him, as though he knew her… but he didn't.

He blinked back at her, whispering the only name he could think of, "_Naminé," _waiting for an answer that would not yet come.

The redhead in front of him shook her head hesitantly, a fierce resolve burning in her eyes, her hand hovering so close to his skin that he could feel her warmth seeping into him.

"Why did you leave me?"

He didn't understand the question, and in one sharp movement, she slapped him hard, his head snapping sharply to the side with the unexpected force.

_The image of the woman in front of him filled his head, now, no, then a girl, lying still and unresponsive on a stone cold floor. _

Bewildered, he lifted a cool hand up to his stinging cheek. She had never hit him before… he shook the notion out of his head, he had never met her before.

…_and she lay there silent, paler than he'd ever seen her before… and he would give anything to wake her up…_

"I know that you don't remember me, but-" Her voice cracked, unable to carry on, and Sora stared back at her, face blank, saying nothing. "I don't understand!"

His heart pounded, beating frantically at the thought she might never wake up… but she had, she was… here?

His hand left his throbbing cheek, staring at her intently, every nerve in his body shivering, "Kairi?

The room grew a deathly silent, the air filling with a thick cloud of unease as everyone stared at him. Time seemed to halt as nobody moved, spoke, breathed, all too aware of what it meant to break the moment.

Sora watched as the woman in front of him drew in a shaky breath; an amused tinkling of laughter escaping her lips; echoing and fading all too quickly back into the silence of the room, leaving it once again feeling cold and empty.

He bit his lip, hesitant, wanting beyond anything to understand what all of this meant. Who she, _she meant more to him then anything else_, was? "Kai-"

She looked up, thick, salty tears running rivers down her face. No sound uttered, but pain, clear and hurtful, holding onto him tightly and burning into his skin.

"You let me believe…" She trailed off, refusing to look at him any longer.

Still not capable of grasping what was going on and bewildered beyond all belief, he took a step back, his gaze searching around the room to find Naminé. The only person right now that he felt remotely comfortable with, but the blonde-haired woman was paying him no attention, her head bent and staring down at her hands, absorbed in her own pain as everything around her broke.

His breathing grew quicker, the images locked in his head and _Kairi _still upset in front of him, crying girl's had never been his forte, especially when he was -seemingly- the cause of it all in the first place. He shuffled back another foot to distance himself, the urge to flee thumping through his veins.

"Sora, don't."

The voice was quiet, yet held a tone that froze Sora in his steps, hesitant eyes flicking up to find cold green ones staring back.

"Just hold on a second." This time his voice was much softer, comforting and desperate to keep everything together. One pale muscular arm stretched out to wrap around Kairi, squeezing the girls shoulder and pulling her up and towards him to sob on his chest. He looked back to Sora and smiled softly, "Do you?-"

Sora looked up, swallowing nervously and slightly wide-eyed as he watched the pair, who just minutes ago had been nothing but strangers in his home and a practical joke sent to drive him mad, but they were more than that, and he understood that now. It was how, deep down he knew that, that he had yet to work out.

Riku cleared his throat, eyes narrowed slightly and nodding his head, seemingly satisfied by whatever Sora had done. "You don't."

He blinked, brought back into the moment, "Don't?"

Riku placed a solid hand on Kairi's back. "Remember everything, but we're going to sort all of that out." He looked away, Sora following his gaze until it landed on a still silent Naminé.

Against his better judgement, Sora found himself nodding, eyeing the pair warily but feeling the need and familiar want to trust Riku for the moment.

* * *

Naminé's eyes glazed over as everything transpired before her, the voices of everyone else in the room fading to a slow hum in the back of her mind. It was all so easy to just pretend; after all, she'd had years of practice.

None of it was happening and she was perfectly happy.

She had never been able to believe the lies herself.

She hadn't moved since she had heard Sora speak _her_ name, unable to do anything but listen to the many voices in her head that screamed it wasn't fair. Hollow and broken apart inside as their voices of confusion and pain had drifted lazily in and out of her mind, taunting and whispering it was all her fault, her own selfishness that had destroyed everything.

They were right.

She could tell when he looked at her, eyes settling in the small of her back and pushing for her to explain.

She didn't want to.

She could tell that right now he would be pushed against the wall, eyes shut tight as he tried to figure out what everything meant, what exactly it was that she had taken away.

She was tired of the lies and sick of pretending.

More than anything, she wanted it to be real.

"Sora?"

She could provide him with the answers… but would she lose him in the process?…

He turned to look at her and she hesitated, shutting her eyes and holding her breath.

**To be continued…**

* * *

Mean, I know, but it seemed fitting to end it there. Let me just say now for the record, the end relationship is still up in the air. I know how it'll end, but I guess you'll all just have to just keep guessing.

Let me know what you think…


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